Humans need food to live. That is a simple fact of life that nobody can dispute. The problem is that food is not always readily available to everybody who needs it. It is an unfortunate reality that the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that about 870 million people (of the world’s 7.1 billion population) experienced chronic undernourishment in 2010-2012 (worldhunger.org). An even more shocking statistic is that 852 of the 870 million people can be found in developing countries. With this information, one can begin to understand the severity of the food shortages that exist in the world, especially in African and South Asian countries (ADRA). What does not make sense, though, is that that the world does produce enough food for everyone to be nourished (worldhunger.org). Therefore, this begs the question of what causes such extreme food shortages if there actually is enough food?
According to the World Hunger Education Service, there are several reasons why there is a food shortage.
The most impactful factor affecting hunger is poverty. There is an estimated 1345 million people in the developing countries that are forced to live on $1.25 per day (worldhunger.org). Because of the extreme poverty, these people are unable to afford food or the resources needed to obtain it. Therefore, they have no choice but to starve.
Why then are these people so poor?
It is believed that the economic systems of the world produce a society in which a select group controls the resources and lives well while the majority is forced to suffer (worldhunger.org). Those who have the resources typically possess some form of political, military, or economic power that allows them to obtain control. Unless the entire system is altered, the majority of people can barely survive.
In addition, conflict is considered to be a cause of hunger. This is because conflict forces people to leave their homelands and become refugees. As such, they are unable to produce food or obtain the resources that they would by remaining in their homelands. ADRA also reports that enemies can destroy food supplies as a means of attack during conflict (ADRA). During warfare, a nation will do whatever it must do to destroy the livelihood of its opponent. Therefore, what could be useful food resources are actually just remnants of conflict.
Finally, the climate shares some of the responsibility for the food shortages that exist (ADRA). Floods, droughts, and changes to climatic patterns make it incredibly difficult to produce food. Farmers are forced to adjust their methods, which may be a slow and inefficient process.
Look at how much the climate has changed recently:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaJJtS_WDmI
Even though the situation may seem hopeless, action is being taken to alleviate these food shortages.
One idea that has been employed is increasing the farming yield in developing countries through sustainable means (usnews.com). Through the implementation of better farming techniques and resources, such as fertilizer, organizations are trying to make land more fruitful. For example, the Gates Foundation attempted to boost yields and replenish soil in Africa through $306 million in grants (usnews.com).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twGev010Zwc&feature=player_embedded
Another means of reducing shortages is by “sharing the crowded planet” (usnews.com). Shortages are an obvious sign that the planet is dealing with the strain of supporting so many people. Therefore, developed countries must recognize this strain and do what they can to reduce it. For instance, the United States typically disposes of 96 billion pounds of food per year (usnews.com). Instead of wasting resources, these developed countries need to be more mindful and provide assistance to those in need.
Yet another method of doing such is through the process of land distribution, which is providing land for those who do not have it. Many people in developing countries depend on farming and agriculture to live. However, overpopulation means that not everybody has land to farm. The government can change this through land colonization and land reform. Land colonization is when landless people are given land to farm on that was not previously used for agricultural purposes, while land reform is taking the land of large landlords and dividing it up for others to use.
Food shortage is an obvious problem in the world given how many people are affected by it. As a result, numerous efforts are being made by countries and organizations to combat the problem. However, you can also provide relief by donating to any of the credible organizations fighting hunger, such as ADRA (http://www.adra.org/world-food-shortage.htm). Maybe with your help, the world will not experience so much hunger in the future.
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2008/05/09/8-ways-to-fix-the-global-food-crisis?page=3
http://www.adra.org/world-food-shortage.htm
http://www.worldhunger.org/articles/Learn/world%20hunger%20facts%202002.htm
http://thebritishgeographer.weebly.com/food-security-and-strategies-to-alleviate-food-shortage.html
I have always thought the same thing regarding the Penn State dining halls. I can’t believe how much food I see wasted, and we are only one college out of many across the world. The amount of food that is thrown away is almost inconceivable. We cannot visualize 98 billion pounds of food, but we can visualize the amount that a couple people waste in the dining halls. The numbers really are staggering.
You have a lot of great information backed by your sources. The statistics you used really kept my attention and made me want to read on. The one thing that was missing was your point of view though. I want to read how you reacted and how you would help solve the situation. It think that is a key part of blogging, especially about civic issues. If you include some of your commentary next time, you will have some amazing posts.
One thing about your post that really struck me was the fact that the United States wastes 98 billion pounds of food annually. That is an incredibly high number, and could probably sustain the entire continent of Africa. It doesn’t come as a surprise to me, either, considering how much food goes to waste just in Penn State’s dining hall buffets. Like you said, the problem isn’t a shortage of food, it’s the distribution–getting it from the wealthy countries to the developing ones. I think we all need to work on reducing our individual waste and rationing resources.