There really is no formula to defining global food insecurity. Still, many world health organizations use the term to point out deficiencies in global food security. To understand what something is, it sometimes helps to understand what it is not. This may just be the case with food insecurity. To understand food insecurity, that is, one must first define and understand food security and work backwards. If food security does not exist, then, by definition, you have food insecurity.
The World Food Summit of 1996 defined food security as existing “when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life.” This definition hinges on three qualifications: namely food availability, food access, and food use. Lacking one of these elements of food security, a population faces food insecurity, which can and does arise in an endless permutation of manners.
Global Food Insecurity: Failing Food Security Criteria
To establish food security, say, in a developing nation, food must first be available on a consistent basis. Some will argue that there is currently enough food in the world to feed everyone in the world. Nonetheless, people go hungry due to inconsistency in their daily intake of food. For example, one may go days without a meal. In this situation, a cornucopia of food, arriving two weeks later, does nothing to alleviate that person’s current hunger. As such, food security depends on food availability.
Second, the nation’s population must have access to the right kinds of food to sustain a healthy diet. Not only must a person have food available, that is, it must be the right kind of food. For example, a human cannot survive on rice alone. We need all different kinds of food to live healthy lives. The definition of healthy diet here also includes accommodations to particular dietary needs, such as avoiding certain foods or increasing intake of others.
Finally, food security requires appropriate use of food based on adequate knowledge of basic nutrition and care. In order to maintain a healthy diet, one must know how to eat the food that is available to him or her and portion that food out in a way that best serves the needs of his or her body. When USAID drops bags of food over Africa, for example, it will be helpful to also teach those receiving the aid how to ration the food. Basic sanitation and access to water are included in appropriate use to complete the qualifications of food security.
If even one of these three elements or qualifications is not met, it is easy to see how even a full plate of food, three times a day, may not be enough to maintain a healthy diet. Food security requires that the food is enough to satisfy the short, mid, and long-term needs of the human body and that the person consuming the food does so in an appropriate manner to maintain him or herself. Global food insecurity, or deficient food security from a worldwide perspective, exists in a world where even one person goes hungry.
Though great strides have been made in alleviating global hunger, the current level of food insecurity is unacceptable. Even in the United States, 1 out of 10 households were food insecure, hence the importance of food provision and education programs, like, local food banks. To learn more about food (in)security in the U.S., you can visit this site.
– Herman Watson
Sources: U.S. Food Aid and Security, World Health Organization, World Food Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization
Photo: Security and Sustainability Forum
Afghan Civilian Casualties Increase as Forces Withdraw
The UN reports that Afghan civilian casualties are on the rise as international forces are phase out their military presence. This year, the war has caused 1,319 civilian deaths with 2,533 injured, which is a 23% increase in civilian violence compared to last year. Women and children have been affected disproportionately, with 38% more casualties this year.
The primary cause of civilian casualties continues to be IEDs, which have indiscriminately killed more children than any other demographic – 53% more than last year. Insurgents were responsible for 74% of all casualties this year, who are targeting civilians believed to be working in alignment with the government, and 12% of the casualties were incurred in fighting on the ground with 207 civilians counted dead in crossfire.
Foreign troops are scheduled to leave Afghanistan next year, leaving the Afghan army to assume control of the countries security. In places where international troops have withdrawn, insurgent attacks are on the rise. The reported increase in civilian casualties is being weighed by decision makers, who must consider how the Afghan troops can assume control of continuing the fight against extremists while protecting innocents from unnecessary violence.
– Jennifer Bills
Sources: Al Jazeera, Thomson Reuters Foundation
Photo: Anti War
Who is Elsie Kanza?
As one of Forbe’s 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa, Elsie Kanza is not to be overlooked. Born in Kenya to Tanzanian parents, she obtained an education in the United States and in Kenya. She received her BA in International Business Administration from the United States International University – Africa, her Masters of Science in Finance from the University of Strathclyde and her Masters of Arts in Development Economics from Williams College.
Kanza then went on to become an Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow in 2008 and a World Economic Forum World Leader in 2011. Until recently, Kanza served as a personal assistant and economic advisor to the Republic of Tanzania president, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, making her an extremely influential political figure in Africa. Now, she serves as perhaps her most important role yet: director for Africa at the World Economic Forum. The World Economic Forum is a Geneva-based non-profit organization that works to convene global leaders in business, academics, and politics to engage in shaping global agendas.
Through this position, Kanza’s team has been focusing on addressing important issues in Africa including climate change, food security, infrastructure development, and resources management. Kanza works specifically on connecting senior government officials in sub-Saharan Africa with leasers at the World Economic Forum to facilitate collaboration. In an interview with In2EastAfrica, Kanza said that the new job is essentially an extension of her last job as an advisor because she is working so closely with government officials. She develops partnerships that will help her team achieve their broader development goals.
This year’s World Economic Forum conference on Africa was held in May in Cape Town, South Africa. Over 1,000 people participated from 80 different countries. The conference focused heavily on economic grown and competitiveness in Africa as well as infrastructure development. In an interview with Forbes, Kanza said, “There’s a real optimism in Africa at the moment, but also caution: Africa’s leaders know that although they have a unique development opportunity, growth is by no means guaranteed. We dedicated a number of sessions to discussing how Africa can diversify its economic base, create more and better jobs and improve competitiveness through further reform.”
As a powerful young leader, Kanza is also dedicated to promoting youth leadership in Africa as well. She particularly focuses on helping the World Economic Forum’s “Shapers” community which consists of 20-30 year olds working on development projects across Africa.
– Emma McKay
Sources: Forbes
Photo: Youtube
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee: 3 Interesting Facts
The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) is a historic, nonsectarian organization that works around the world to free people in crisis zones from social injustices. Here are 3 interesting facts about them:
1. UUSC Has an Important History of Helping People
Founded by Martha and Waitstill Sharp in 1940, Unitarian Service Committee, the precursor to UUSC, has an intriguing background story. At the beginning of World War II, there were over 200,000 refugees fleeing to Prague as the Nazis took over what was then Czechoslovakia. The Sharps felt the pull to go to Europe and help, so for 5 months they performed risky missions to get at risk people out of the Nazi controlled areas.
The next year, as the war raged on, the organization brought food to the children of France and helped even more refugees escape. By the end of WWII, Unitarian Service Committee had helped thousands of people escape Nazi rule. In 1945, it joined with its neighbor, Universalist Service Committee, together as UUSC, and the organization returned to Europe to aid in post-war relief projects.
2. Aiding the Displaced is One of their Main Focuses
The conflicts throughout Uganda and Somalia have wreaked havoc on East Africa in recent years, and UUSC has been assisting refugees and helping people move back into their communities.
Armed conflict and severe famine in Somalia have forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes. In response, UUSC built centers to feed and educate 2,000 children, and constructed boreholes to provide thousands of refugees with water. UUSC also set up a program that helps women and girls in displacement camps who have been victims of gender-based violence.
In Uganda, the infamous Lord’s Resistance Army pushed 1.8 million people out of their communities over the years. UUSC has made it one of their main missions to help the displaced return home and restart their lives in a peaceful way. Their village rebuilding efforts have already reached 20,000 people and include community leadership training, loans for women, literacy training, and the creation of bicycle ambulances.
3. Creating Successful Democracies is Key to UUSC
The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee believes that strong leadership is needed in the Middle East and North Africa where the Arab Spring occurred. Without it, the underlying tension in the region could worsen and all positive headway towards building participatory democracies could be lost.
One project UUSC created to serve this cause is a voter-education program that taught over 10,000 Egyptians about their personal rights. The organization also instructed activists in the Middle East and North Africa on how to mobilize and create political change through social media. In addition, UUSC funded research on the root causes of instability in the region and on how to make democratic progress after conflicts, all of which they hope will help democracies succeed in the area in the future.
– Caylee Pugh
Sources: Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, UU World GovTrack.US
Photo: UUSC
3 Technologies Improving Access to Clean Water
The United Nations estimates that a minimum of 1.5 million children every year die of dehydration and disease caused from a lack of access to clean water. 783 million people around the world lack clean water, which represents 11% of the population. Technological innovations have recently been developed around the world focused on addressing this deadly issue.
One of these innovations, the mWater mobile app uses data to test the cleanliness of water. It tracks all of these measurements online, allowing officials to map areas with clean water and those with the most deadly levels of contamination. All of the information picked up by the app is stored in an online database, which is free and available to the public. Its measurement capabilities also allow users to determine immediately whether or not the water is safe to drink. By increasing access to information and using scientific measurements to track the problem areas of water sanitation, the mWater mobile app decreases the workloads of health organizations and governments looking for solutions to the clean water dilemma.
The Life Straw is also a new technology with great potential for saving the lives of millions. The Vestergaard Frandsen Company of Switzerland developed the Life Straw as a filtration system used to purify up to 700 liters of water, approximately a year’s supply of water for one person. The Life Straw is a pipe structure allows producers to make the product for under 5 USD. The pipe contains carbons to filter out parasites and a resin to kill bacteria. The straw is small enough to be worn around a person’s neck, making it convenient for transporting. Anyone can use the Life Straw simply by placing the tube in water and drinking through it, like a regular straw.
In addition to mobile apps and filter pipes, the Stellenbosch University of South Africa Water Institute’s HOPE Project seeks to improve the availability of clean water to people all over the world. This group has created a water filter known simply as the ‘teabag.’ This filter stands out as a promising solution as it costs less than half of one cent to produce and also withstands multiple uses. One teabag can purify up to one liter of water.
The filter works by using carbon and nano filters to separate out bacteria and pollutants. The South African Bureau of Standards completed testing on the teabag filter and deemed it safe and effective. Stellenbosch University signed a deal with the corporation Aquacare in South Africa to begin manufacturing this helpful new project.
These exciting new developments in the world of water technology ignite hope for many.
– Allison Meade
Sources: The Hope Project, El Paso Inc., How Stuff Works
Photo: The Daily Aztec
The Solution to Food Security: Eat More Bugs?
Insects have been eaten by humans for centuries. Little do most people know that pound for pound, insects pack more protein than regular beef or chicken. Today, one start up company plans to reclaim bugs as a source protein to improve food security and protect the environment.
Exo is a new company started by Brown University graduates Greg Sewitz and Gabi Lewis. Exo produces protein bars that are made with a very special ingredient: cricket flour. The crickets are slow roasted and milled into a fine powder. The cricket flour is then combined with organic ingredients such as raw cacao, dates, almond butter, and coconut. The result is a high protein, low sugar, nutritionally packed protein bar. The bar boasts a high content of omega 3 fatty acids, iron, and calcium. The bars are also gluten free, dairy free, soy free, and have no artificial preserves or processed ingredients.
Why eat crickets? Crickets are extremely nutritious. They are made up of a majority of protein by dry weight. They also contain all the essential amino acids. Compared to beef, 100 grams of cricket powder contains 69% protein while 100 grams of dried beef contains only 45% protein. Sirloin steak has even less at 29% per 100 grams. Cricket powder also contains nearly as much calcium as cow’s milk.
Cricket protein presents a solution to the global food and environmental crisis. Crickets need 12 times less feed than cattle and 4 times less than sheep. They require very little water and very little space. High densities of crickets also require significantly less space for storage and transportation, making this insect protein highly sustainable. Furthermore, harvesting insects such as crickets is far less environmentally destructive as raising traditional livestock. The average cow produces 132 pounds of methane that is released into the atmosphere. Crickets produce 80 times less.
By creating these protein bars, Exo hopes to convert the world’s food eating patterns into more sustainable ones. Despite the many benefits of consuming insects, most people are still hesitant to do so, especially in the United States. However in reality, 80% of the world already does so. Additionally, Exo has worked with expert chefs and conducted taste tests to produce a protein bar that is both wholesome and enjoyable.
Both Gabi and Greg of Exo hope to see their company expand to include a variety of insect based foods. Ultimately their goal is to “feed the world without destroying the planet.” By tapping into insects as a source of protein, Exo stands to make a real difference in the food industry.
– Grace Zhao
Sources: Forbes, Kickstarter
Photo: The World
How Fruits and Veggies Can Make Safe Drinking Water
Access to clean drinking water is a worldwide problem. One billion people, or roughly 1 in 7 persons across the globe, lack access to safe water. Without potable water, these millions of people are exposed to waterborne pathogens that can cause sickness and death. Each year, waterborne pathogens make tens of millions of people sick and lead to 1.8 million deaths. And all of these are preventable.
Researchers are working on cheap and practical ways to provide safe drinking water across the globe. Ramakrishna Mallampati, an investigator at the National University of Singapore, has devised a new way to purify dirty water. By using the peels of fruits and vegetables, Mallampati believes that he can effectively and economically filter out impurities from water to make it safe to drink.
The fruits and vegetables are used to purify dirty water by drawing out toxic ions and organic pollutants from liquid. Tomato peels effectively remove “dissolved organic and inorganic chemicals, dyes and pesticides, and…can also be used in large scare applications.” Tomatoes are the second most consumed vegetable in the world. With the vegetable’s widespread availability, using tomato peels to purify water could prove to be a convenient, easy, and cheap way to purify drinking water.
Like tomato peels, apple peels are also able to draw out a number of pollutants from dirty water. The peels can extract anions such as “phosphate, arsenate, arsenite, and chromate ions from aqueous solutions.” While the apple peels must first be treated with a zirconium oxide before they can effectively remove impurities from water, the wide prevalence of the fruit throughout the world means that it could also be used to treat drinking water on a large scale.
The newly designed water purification methods could prove revolutionary in the developing world. Many large scale treatment processes used in developed nations are simply inaccessible to the impoverished across the globe due to a lack of the financial capital needed to implement them. The process of purifying water by using tomato and apple peels mitigates the financial obstacle that prevents many in the developed world from having clean drinking water. Ramakrishna Mallampati hopes that by using his new purification process, those living in developing areas will be able to live healthier and more productive lives.
– Jordan Kline
Sources: ScienceDaily, Care2, National Academy of Sciences
Photo: She Knows
MAC Viva Glam Makes Over More than Just Faces
While Canadian cosmetic company MAC has developed a cult following for its make up products, it has made over the lives of millions without make up since the company established the MAC AIDS Foundation (MAF) in 1994. Throughout the course of nearly 2 decades, MAC has raised $270 million for HIV/AIDS prevention, education, treatment and support by contributing 100 percent of proceeds from Viva Glam sales to MAF.
In 2010, MAC Viva Glam enlisted songbirds Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper to represent its From Our Lips campaign, which worked to raise awareness about the prevalence of HIV/AIDS infections among females – which is especially disproportionate in developing nations. In sub-Saharan Africa, women comprised nearly 60% of those living with HIV/AIDS. Conversely, it has been estimated that 75% of all women with HIV/AIDS live in the region.
A number of reasons factor into this unequal distribution. Studies have shown that women are twice as likely to contract HIV from unprotected intercourse as men, suggesting that women have a greater susceptibility to the virus. Widespread instances of gender based violence and rape in sub-Saharan Africa further compound the prevalence rate. Armed conflict and patriarchy make for a lethal combination because many women who are coerced or forced into sexual acts are not given a choice on whether or not to use a condom.
Infected mothers, moreover, can potentially pass on the virus to their offspring – thereby perpetuating the cycle of HIV/AIDS and the havoc it wreaks upon lives. MAF seeks to address these issues by working with partner organizations to prevent sexual assault closely linked with HIV/AIDS epidemics. Through From Our Lips, MAF provided the National Network to End Domestic Violence with a $100,000 grant to educate advocates on the correlation between sexual violence and the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Through Viva Glam and MAF, MAC and its celebrity endorsers have transcended superficiality to put a spotlight on the inner beauty of compassion – emphasizing everyone’s right to lead a happy and healthy life, regardless of gender or health.
– Melrose Huang
Sources: MAC Aids Fund, NNEDV, AVERT, Forbes, MTV
Photo: LadyLux
UNICEF Delivers Aid to Central African Republic
In March of 2013 a crisis was declared in Central African Republic (CAR) after rebels seized power. The coup forced almost all humanitarian groups out of the country, leaving most of the country’s population without aid. Due to the crisis most of the citizens of CAR do not have access to basic medical services. The rebel coalition has ransacked schools, health clinics and hospitals. Many are afraid to leave their homes because of the violent rebel presence.
“The attacks have deprived an already vulnerable population – 4.4 million people spread across a country bigger than France – of access to even basic medical treatment,” said Doctors Without Borders in a recent report released about the crisis in CAR. “In a country which already had the second-lowest life expectancy in the world, at just 48 years, the people are now even more at risk.”
UNICEF has just delivered its third shipment of aid to Central African Republic filled with life-saving humanitarian supplies. The shipment weighed the equivalent of six large truck-loads. The shipment includes medicines and health supplies to treat over 20,000 people, tarpaulins to provide emergency shelter for 1,000 families, 400 boxes of therapeutic milk to treat severely malnourished children, and health and nutrition equipment to benefit children and women most affected bot the violent crisis. The shipment is aimed to reach those in the interior of the country who have little access to humanitarian aid and are in the greatest need.
“This is the largest shipment of supplies we have received since the crisis began. These life-saving supplies will be delivered immediately to affected communities across the Central African Republic,” said UNICEF representative Souleymane Diabate. “This month, through the work of mobile teams, we re-established a presence in the interior of the country and the supplies will be used to ensure that the health and nutritional needs of the most vulnerable women and children are met.”
Since the crisis, UNICEF has managed to organize a humanitarian response that has impaced the lives of 223,000 people. These people now have access to basic health services and medicines thanks to UNICEF. They have also treated 10,035 children with severe acute malnutrition and seen improvement in the children’s health. UNICEF has also vaccinated 123,000 children against measles and hopes to vaccinate the rest of the country before the end of September.
UNICEF hopes to expand its emergency response initiative in CAR and has currently raised US$8 million from donations. They hope to raise US $24 million to scale-up efforts.
– Catherine Ulirch
Sources: UNICEF, AllAfrica
The Borgen Project Advocates for Foreign Aid
Today, The Borgen Project team paid a visit to Congressman McDermott’s district office in Seattle. They advocated for a stronger international affairs budget, passing the Food Aid Reform Act and the Electrify Africa Act, and other issues related to global poverty.
Laurie Goodman, a PR Intern, said, “This was my first time lobbying in a congressional office and it was a great experience. I definitely suggest that others to contact their local leaders.”
The Borgen Project encourages everyone to schedule a meeting with their local congressional offices and advocate for eradicating poverty.
– Abby Stewart
What Is Global Food Insecurity?
There really is no formula to defining global food insecurity. Still, many world health organizations use the term to point out deficiencies in global food security. To understand what something is, it sometimes helps to understand what it is not. This may just be the case with food insecurity. To understand food insecurity, that is, one must first define and understand food security and work backwards. If food security does not exist, then, by definition, you have food insecurity.
The World Food Summit of 1996 defined food security as existing “when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life.” This definition hinges on three qualifications: namely food availability, food access, and food use. Lacking one of these elements of food security, a population faces food insecurity, which can and does arise in an endless permutation of manners.
Global Food Insecurity: Failing Food Security Criteria
To establish food security, say, in a developing nation, food must first be available on a consistent basis. Some will argue that there is currently enough food in the world to feed everyone in the world. Nonetheless, people go hungry due to inconsistency in their daily intake of food. For example, one may go days without a meal. In this situation, a cornucopia of food, arriving two weeks later, does nothing to alleviate that person’s current hunger. As such, food security depends on food availability.
Second, the nation’s population must have access to the right kinds of food to sustain a healthy diet. Not only must a person have food available, that is, it must be the right kind of food. For example, a human cannot survive on rice alone. We need all different kinds of food to live healthy lives. The definition of healthy diet here also includes accommodations to particular dietary needs, such as avoiding certain foods or increasing intake of others.
Finally, food security requires appropriate use of food based on adequate knowledge of basic nutrition and care. In order to maintain a healthy diet, one must know how to eat the food that is available to him or her and portion that food out in a way that best serves the needs of his or her body. When USAID drops bags of food over Africa, for example, it will be helpful to also teach those receiving the aid how to ration the food. Basic sanitation and access to water are included in appropriate use to complete the qualifications of food security.
If even one of these three elements or qualifications is not met, it is easy to see how even a full plate of food, three times a day, may not be enough to maintain a healthy diet. Food security requires that the food is enough to satisfy the short, mid, and long-term needs of the human body and that the person consuming the food does so in an appropriate manner to maintain him or herself. Global food insecurity, or deficient food security from a worldwide perspective, exists in a world where even one person goes hungry.
Though great strides have been made in alleviating global hunger, the current level of food insecurity is unacceptable. Even in the United States, 1 out of 10 households were food insecure, hence the importance of food provision and education programs, like, local food banks. To learn more about food (in)security in the U.S., you can visit this site.
– Herman Watson
Sources: U.S. Food Aid and Security, World Health Organization, World Food Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization
Photo: Security and Sustainability Forum