Archive for category: Hunger

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3 Ways Genetically Modified Rice Can Help Solve Hunger

Genetically Modified RiceRice is a staple grain for much of the world, accounting for the majority of the daily diets of 50% of people globally, and is the third-most grown grain in the world. For those in Asia struggling with hunger and malnutrition, rice can be a saving grace — its high yield, nutrients and culinary flexibility make it an outstanding crop. However, artificial selection and genetic modification have improved this versatile food beyond its original capabilities, transforming it into a force that can fight hunger and malnutrition in unprecedented ways. Here’s how.

It Has a Higher Yield

Genetically modified rice seeds are capable of producing more food per plant. By duplicating a certain gene in a standard variety of rice, Chinese scientists were able to increase the crop yield by 40% — a massive bonus. This strain of rice does not take up more land, instead producing rice at a higher density than standard, naturally occurring rice. The individual grains are also significantly larger. Producing significantly more rice on the same amount of land reduces labor and costs, and boosts the effectiveness of rice as a major nutrition source. Even certain species of rice that have been genetically modified for resistance (such as to heat waves) also produce up to 20% higher yield, meaning that genetic modification can accomplish many goals simultaneously.

It’s More Resilient

Climate change, pests and natural disasters all threaten food production, especially in struggling nations. Fortunately, genetically modified rice can be more resistant to these challenges. An excessive heat wave in the Shanghai region killed off rice plants en masse, damaging the plants’ ability to produce a certain protein complex called D1. By engineering the plants to produce more of this protein, scientists found that the rice could thrive at temperatures that would kill unmodified rice quickly. 

Meanwhile, in the fight against pests, biologists were able to graft a gene from a common soil bacteria into a different strain of rice plant, making it resistant to the damage caused by lepidopteran insects — a group that includes butterflies and moths, but more importantly the younger caterpillar versions of the insects. With modified resistance to these crop killers, farmers can forgo pesticides, and the overall crop yield is increased by a whopping 60% in some cases. 

In a similar vein, German scientists were able to make another strain of rice resistant to herbicide, allowing farmers to use plant-killing agents on the entire crop to battle weeds that could threaten the yield. Monsoon season can pose a particular challenge to rice farmers, as the floods of contaminated salt water can increase the salinity of the water in the rice paddies, essentially poisoning the plants. To solve this problem, Chinese scientists successfully developed genetically modified rice plants that can survive harsh salty conditions.

It’s More Nutritious — Much More

Naturally occurring rice is already a valuable part of a balanced diet, providing a variety of vitamins, proteins and antioxidants. In fact, populations that consume rice as their main grain have lower rates of cancer and obesity. But genetic modification can take this even further. The Golden Rice Project successfully designed a strain of rice that can supply beta-carotene, a mineral that the human body can draw from to produce Vitamin A, an essential vitamin for survival. 

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) affects 250 million children worldwide, causing blindness and in severe cases, death. Some strains of golden rice have up to five times the recommended daily value of beta-carotene in a serving — providing millions of children with vital nutrition that could save up to 2.7 million lives yearly. Golden Rice was developed in 2000, but not adopted due to some logistical issues and many unfounded criticisms. However, in 2021, the Philippines finally approved the crop for trial production, with other nations surely soon to follow.

Genetically Modified Rice and the Fight Against Hunger 

Genetic modification has transformed rice into a powerful tool to combat hunger and malnutrition. These modified rice varieties offer higher yields, greater resilience to climate challenges and pests, and enhanced nutrition. Golden Rice, with its ability to provide essential Vitamin A, represents a significant breakthrough in addressing global nutritional deficiencies. As more nations adopt these innovations, genetically modified rice is poised to play a crucial role in our ongoing battle against world hunger.

– Cheyenne Astarita
Photo: Unsplash

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3D Printing Food: A New Solution to World Hunger?

3D Printing Food
Food insecurity and global hunger remain an international crisis to this day, worsening year after year. In the 79 countries that the World Food Programme (WFP) operates in, more than 345 million people are suffering from high levels of food insecurity in 2023. This number is even more daunting as it has more than doubled since 2020. Specifically, since the COVID-19 pandemic, an additional 200 million people have faced extreme hunger. 

To combat hunger and poverty, new technologies have sprouted up around the world. One such technology is the possibility of 3D printing food. Using edible materials, 3D printing food implements an extrusion-based method to ensure the production of high-quality food. In this way, the many benefits of 3D printing food offer an effective way to reduce hunger and the poverty associated with it. 

How 3D Printing Reduces Hunger

  • Accessibility: People in more than 49 countries are currently at risk of hunger due to droughts, floods, wars and other issues. 3D printing food, however, can overcome these issues as it can readily feed people who lack access to healthy food. The average commercial 3D printer can feed an entire family while industrial printers have the ability for mass production lines. One example of industrial printers comes from an Israeli company, Redefine Meat, that recently agreed with importer Giraudi Meats to introduce 3-D printed steak cuts in 1,000 European restaurants. As 3D-printed food continues to gain traction, it will become a viable solution for the hungry in several developing countries as it exponentially effectively increases access to healthy food.
  • Affordability: 3D printing food is also beneficial to the food industry as it compensates for rising food costs around the world. One of the largest portions of food manufacturing expenses is the cultivation and maintenance of raw materials. Compared with traditional beef production, 3D printing beef reduces energy usage by 45% and water usage by 4%. Another major portion of costs associated with food manufacturing is transportation and inventory management. 3D printing lowers transportation and inventory management costs as products can be printed locally and have the ability to be efficiently manufactured to meet consumer demands. In this way, printing food can lead to a significant decline in expenses associated with food manufacturing, thereby lowering consumer costs and increasing affordability.
  • Nutritional Value: According to Johnathan Blutinger, a co-author of the paper The Future of Software-Controlled Cooking, 3D-printed food can provide “essential nutrients” to people who lack fresh and healthy food. 3D printing food, in addition, can serve as a preventive check against additives, preservatives and other food chemicals that are unhealthy. One example, Biozoon, is a German 3D printer that can manufacture healthy food products, known as “smoothfood,” for people with specific medical issues. Smoothfood is incredibly high in vital nutrients, such as protein, vitamins and carbohydrates, that many impoverished people lack. As such, 3D printing food allows those in poverty to gain crucial nutrition and allows consumers to target specific nutritional needs.

The Future of 3D Printing Food

While 3D printing food is a relatively novel field, it offers many practical benefits that ensure access to affordable high-quality food. Although much more progress is necessary, printing food is an innovative approach to addressing global hunger and poverty.

– Manav Yarlagadda
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Tackling Hunger by Reducing Food Waste in Pakistan

Food Waste in PakistanPakistan faces the dual challenges of food insecurity and food loss waste. Ongoing poverty, frequent natural disasters and instability in politics and the economy have contributed to undernutrition and a lack of reliable access to food for some people in Pakistan. According to the World Food Program, more than 20% of the total population in Pakistan suffers from undernourishment. Additionally, nearly 45% of children under 5 years old in the country experience stunting due to chronic malnutrition. 

The issues of poverty, disasters, political changes and economic uncertainty have made it difficult for many Pakistanis to obtain or produce enough nutritious food consistently, especially impacting children’s development and growth. Addressing food insecurity and malnutrition will require strategies that deal with their complex underlying causes. At the same time, significant amounts of food are wasted across the supply chain and at the consumer level. Bridging this gap between surplus production and food scarcity is critical for tackling hunger in the country. 

The Issue of Food Loss in Pakistan

Pakistan is facing an unprecedented food crisis marked by severe wheat shortages. According to reports, the shortage has left many citizens struggling with soaring food prices and inadequate nutrition. Experts warn that if food insecurity continues unaddressed, it could lead to anarchy and instability. The most vulnerable populations in Pakistan are bearing the brunt of the crisis as low-income families battle inflation and critical food shortages without substantial government support. Resolving the complex factors driving the food crisis requires urgent and coordinated efforts by policymakers and stakeholders at all levels.

Efforts To Reduce Waste and Redistribute Surpluses

Individuals, charities and policymakers in Pakistan are working to address hunger and food insecurity through initiatives to reduce food waste and divert excesses to the hungry. A prime example is the Robin Hood Army (RHA), a volunteer-based food charity operating in 145 cities globally. In Pakistan alone, RHA has served over 1.37 million meals to the underprivileged over the last five years. They collect surplus and unused food from restaurants, food companies and events that would otherwise go to waste. RHA’s volunteers, called “Robins,” distribute recovered food to underserved communities, including slums, orphanages, shelters, hospitals and those affected by natural disasters. 

In addition to tackling hunger, the Robin Hood Army also aims to provide educational opportunities to disadvantaged children through its Robin Hood Academy programs. Through recovering and redirecting excess edible food to the vulnerable, charities like RHA play a crucial role in the fight against hunger and food insecurity in Pakistan.

Government Initiatives on Food Waste

To cut down on food waste, the Punjab Food Authority in Pakistan has implemented the Disposal of Excess Food Regulation 2019. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan initiated the Ehsaas program associated with this regulation. All food-related organizations must donate their extra edible food to charity instead of wasting it. The key goal is to provide excess food to people safely experiencing poverty. 

In practice, the Punjab Food Authority coordinates with NGOs to gather surplus food from food businesses and deliver it to vulnerable groups. While other provinces in Pakistan have regulations around food safety and standards, Punjab is the only one so far to establish formal procedures for reducing food wastage. The other provinces could follow Punjab’s lead on this initiative. Implementing similar regulations could assist Pakistan in reaching the U.N. Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger, which is a critical part of the country’s 2017 National Food Policy.

– Asia Jamil
Photo: Flickr

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Hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean Drops To Pre-Pandemic Levels

Hunger in Latin America
The current rate of hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is at 6.5%. This is a significant decrease of 2.4 million people compared to the previous year. The last time hunger levels fell this low was pre-COVID-19. Comparatively, the rate of hunger in these regions is lower than the rates in Africa, Asia and Oceania. 

In addition to lowered hunger levels, undernourishment is slightly down, at 6.5% — lower than 2021’s rate of 7%, but still only level with that of 2020. Lastly, moderate and severe food insecurity also dropped in 2021. Severe food insecurity dropped from 13.9% to 12.6%, while moderate food insecurity dropped from 26.4% to 24.9%.

Progress Despite Hard Times

It is clear that hunger in Latin America has dropped, along with undernourishment and food insecurity, though several factors have slowed progress:

  • COVID-19
  • Ukraine/Russia War
  • Extreme Weather

The COVID-19 pandemic particularly hit those with low income, as they did not have adequate resources to protect themselves. The urban areas of LAC are where the pandemic impacted the most vulnerable people.

In LAC, there were reportedly 65.4 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1.65 million deaths by March 2022. While LAC holds 8% of the world population, the region represents about 15% of COVID-19 cases and 28% of worldwide reported deaths.

Details About the LAC’s Challenges

In 2019, the GDP growth in Latin America and the Caribbean was at 0.7%, it then dropped to -6.5% in 2020 (during the pandemic) before rising to 6.7% in 2021. GDP growth is essential to financing important infrastructure and helping the region and its people to recover from the pandemic. 

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has had a catastrophic effect on the world, including an increase in the prices of fertilizers By September 2022, the price of fertilizer was triple what the rate was in early 2020. Low-income farmers across LAC had to reduce their plantings to avoid paying extremely high production costs. Once again, low-income farmers in LAC had their total income affected by global prices. 

Finally, extreme weather has destroyed countless infrastructures across Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2022, 78 meteorological, hydrological and climate-related hazards occurred in the LAC region; 86% of these were both storm and flood-related. 

Estimates have indicated that there were reports of $9 billion worth of damages to the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT), primarily due to droughts (40%) and storms (32%). The actual figures for the impacts of extreme events are likely worse due to a lack of reporting.

Looking Ahead

Hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean has seen a decrease despite many obstructions on the road to improvement. The combination of the pandemic, extreme weather and war has meant that production has not been as high as it could have been. Therefore, these challenges have affected hunger levels, malnutrition, food insecurity and the economy significantly. Despite all this, LAC has still been able to decrease levels of hunger, undernourishment and food insecurity. As the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, perhaps, poverty, hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity will continue to decrease for the people of LAC.

– Lewis Butcher
Photo: Pexels

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Solutions to Hidden Hunger and Nutrition Based Poverty Traps

Hidden hunger
Hunger is a prevalent issue throughout many developing countries. Numerous studies have shown that hunger can have detrimental impacts, including low health and high child mortality. One consequence of hidden hunger that is less explored is the decrease in productivity that results from a nutritional deficit. Whilst this effect may initially pale in comparison to other much worse consequences, the downsides to lower productivity are critical and can lead to a much larger, intergenerational cycle of poverty than previously assumed.

Studies have demonstrated that reduced calorie intake can lead to significant decreases in productivity, which can create an inescapable cycle. A randomized control trial conducted by economist Heather Schofield revealed that an additional 700 calories each day could lead to a 10% increase in income, due to the increased physical and cognitive productivity gained. So, how can lower productivity create a cycle of poverty?

Nutrition-Based Poverty Traps

A poverty trap is a non-linear relationship between one’s current and future income. There is a strong correlation between malnutrition and poverty, but it is heavily questioned whether this leads to the formation of a nutritional poverty trap.

Much research has been completed surrounding the potential existence of a nutrition-based poverty trap, and some deny its existence whilst others support the theory. Studies completed by economists Duflo and Banerji demonstrate the evident existence of poverty traps such as these, stating there may even be a clear link between income and future income of undernourished parents and children respectively, all because of a nutrient-deficient diet. This is because lower-earning parents tend to consume less nutrient-heavy food, which can lead to stunted development for a child, beginning as early as in utero, thus creating a brutal cycle. This micronutrient-deficient lifestyle can also be referred to as ‘hidden hunger.’

Hidden Hunger

Hidden hunger is when one’s diet is severely restricted, resulting in nutrient-poor food intake. Micronutrient deficiencies include those such as iron and zinc deficiency, which can result in poor body development and health.

Hidden hunger is reinforced in countries where there is heavy reliance on low-cost, low-nutrient foods, such as rice and wheat. This type of hunger is not so much to do with a lack of calories, but more a lack of nutrients, hence it is considered ‘hidden’ due to lack of an obvious problem. Crops such as these, whilst providing energy and sustenance, have a low amount of nutrients. Micronutrient intake for low-income groups is much lower than what would normally be required for a healthy diet, due to challenges of affordability and shocks to global food systems. The long-lasting effects of hidden hunger can be detrimental. There is a high cost to malnutrition; it is estimated that around 149 million children under the age of 5 are stunted, which is roughly 22%.

The Solutions to Hidden Hunger

There are no direct means of tackling hidden hunger; it is a complex issue that requires a multidimensional response in order to ensure that all those in poverty are able to access a nutrient-heavy, balanced diet. Past solutions range from cash and in-kind transfers to innovations designed to increase nutrient and mineral consumption.

While cash transfers can be successful in poverty alleviation, consumers do not always choose to purchase the most optimal foods for nutrient maximization. In-kind transfers would likely be more beneficial in a scenario such as this, due to certain innovations that can facilitate a nutrient and mineral-rich diet.

Innovative solutions to hidden hunger range from food engineering to create additional nutrients, to devices that aim to increase biofortification. Strengthening staple foods is a successful means of food fortification. A few examples of innovations and solutions that achieve this are as follows:

  • Lucky Iron Fish: A Lucky Iron Fish is a reusable and simple method of infusing food with additional iron. By adding an Iron Fish into boiling water for just 10 minutes, a food dish could gain an additional 6-8 mg of iron.
  • Iodized Salt and Oil: Adding iodine to food staples is another way of preventing nutrient deficiency. Iodine is essential for preventing stunted growth in infants and young children.
  • Fortified Fish Sauce: This creation has previously been used on childbearing women in Vietnam, and is another successful method of controlling iron deficiency. This idea includes the fortification of any staple food or condiment with iron but has been specifically trialed with fish sauce, a regularly consumed condiment for many. The results include higher levels of hemoglobin and decreases in the prevalence of anemia and iron deficiency, thus enabling successful development for infants in utero.
  • Plumpy’ Nut and Other Acute Malnutrition Products: Nutriset is a company producing ‘Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods’ (RUTFs), which are food packages specifically engineered for children and adults suffering from severe malnutrition. Their products are compact and simple, containing around 500 calories in a single sachet. Other creations of theirs include ‘moderate’ and ‘acute’ malnutrition treatments, as well as preventative products to help maintain a healthy diet.

Tackling hidden hunger is the key to breaking the poverty cycle created by malnutrition. Innovations such as these, as well as successful foreign policies to tackle hunger, will ultimately lead to a successful eradication of undernutrition, alleviating many from absolute poverty.

– Hannah Bugeja
Photo: Flickr

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Economists Call for Action as Global Poverty and Extreme Wealth Rise

Call for Action
A group of leading economists has emphasized that neglecting to address the growing disparity between the wealthy and impoverished worldwide will reinforce poverty. Here is information about the letter they wrote that is acting as a call to action.

A Letter Demands Action

More than 200 senior economists have issued a call for action on rampant global inequality. In a letter directed to the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, and the World Bank president, Ajay Banga, the signatories from 67 countries urged these two bodies to take more substantial measures to reverse the most significant increase in global inequality since World War II Those supporting the appeal for action include New Zealand’s former prime minister Helen Clark, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and economists Jayati Ghosh, Thomas Piketty and Joseph Stiglitz.

The letter emphasizes that extreme poverty and extreme wealth have simultaneously surged for the first time in 25 years. Currently, the richest 10% of the global population takes 52% of global income, while the poorest half of the population earns merely 8.5% of it. The letter insists on improving the measurement of inequality and setting more ambitious targets to narrow income and wealth gaps.

With sharply rising food prices, billions of people face struggles against poverty and hunger. At the same time, the number of billionaires has doubled in the last decade.

Global Setbacks

The economists’ call for action arose on the same day Russia withdrew from a critical UN-brokered deal, which permitted the export of grain from Ukraine via the Black Sea. The collapse of this agreement poses a severe threat of increasing food prices worldwide, plunging millions more into hunger.

In 2015, almost all governments in the world adopted the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include the goal of reducing inequality by 2030, known as “SDG 10.” However, five years later, the World Bank reported that the COVID-19 pandemic drove the largest annual rise in global inequality in three decades. SDG 10, based on the World Bank’s Shared Prosperity goal, does not adequately measure or monitor key aspects of inequality. Household surveys provide evidence that one in five countries with a positive trend in Shared Prosperity also experienced an increase in inequality according to other measures like the Palma Ratio. These countries include Chile, Mongolia and Vietnam. ​​ 

Looking Forward

The World Bank is currently reviewing its Shared Prosperity goal. The World Bank has the opportunity to actively strengthen this goal of assessing inequalities across the whole spectrum of income and wealth distribution.

Significant advances in inequality data, including more accurate estimates of top incomes, have facilitated a new generation of policy-making based on a clear distributional analysis of the impact of policy changes. Pushing these advancements further can allow every government to conduct high-level inequality analysis. 

The World Bank and the UN are in a special position to urgently offer a rallying call for reducing inequality in today’s divided world. The World Bank and the UN SDGs can make better metrics for wealth, income and wage shares of national income with a focus on the global level.

The economists’ call for action has the potential to motivate the World Bank, the UN and governments worldwide to work toward reducing global poverty by addressing the vast economic inequality between the wealthy and the poor. 

– Marisa Del Vecchio
Photo: Flickr

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Food Insecurity and Mental Health Around the Globe

Food Insecurity and Mental Health
In 2023, 9.2% of the world’s population faced chronic hunger, mostly in the developing world. Tragically, nearly one in five people in Africa are undernourished, compared to less than 3% in North America and Europe. 

Many may be familiar with the physical cost of hunger. However, they might not know the crippling psychological harms that food insecurity imposes. The interplay between food insecurity and mental health is one more reason why addressing global hunger has never been more urgent. 

The State of Food Insecurity and Mental Health 

Food insecurity is the lack of consistent access to nutritious food, often due to economic constraints. It raises the risk of chronic hunger, preventing people from leading active and healthy lives. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the world has witnessed inflation and scarcity, plunging 122 million more people into hunger in 2023 compared to 2019. 

Worrying about securing food, or living in perpetual fear of hunger, subjects low-income people to constant stress with serious potential consequences for their mental well-being. A Canadian study found that those grappling with food insecurity are three times more likely to report adverse mental health outcomes. Similarly, research in the U.S. estimated that food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic had three times the negative impact on mental health that pandemic job loss did.

The Hidden Cost of Living with Hunger 

Food insecurity itself inflicts psychological harm. However, some coping strategies can also breed anxiety or shame, particularly if social stigma marks them. This is another way food insecurity and mental health are tragically connected. 

Here are several common strategies for coping with food insecurity: 

  • Buying cheaper foods 
  • Borrowing money for food, or borrowing food 
  • Limiting food intake, especially parents limiting their food intake to ensure their children have enough to eat 
  • Begging for food 
  • Using government assistance or charitable programs, such as food banks 

In South Africa, where more than 20% of households experience food insecurity, researchers estimate that as many as one in five households have resorted to begging for food. This has an association with a higher risk of psychological harm compared to other coping strategies because of the uncertainty, danger and stigma that surrounds begging. 

The Path to Progress  

Improving food assistance mechanisms like government food banks or charitable programs may not provide a comprehensive solution when taking food insecurity and mental health into account. Especially when individuals risk being seen receiving food aid, seeking help often triggers embarrassment or stress. That means going to a local food bank is not enough to truly free people from the harms of hunger. 

Meaningful and sensitive improvements to tackle food insecurity could prove effective in combating mental health crises around the world. One promising initiative is Feed the Future, a program that the U.S. government funds and manages. In its 20 countries of operation, Feed the Future employs a three-part strategy including developing agriculture, building community resilience and working towards whole-population nourishment. Notably, this initiative builds systems for long-term food security, rather than short-term relief. 

From 2011-2021, Feed the Future secured $4.8 billion in funding for global food security and generated nearly four times that amount in global agricultural sales. The program estimates that 23.4 million more people are above the poverty line due to its work around the world.

The connection between food insecurity and mental health provides just another reason why combating global hunger is of the utmost importance. With compassionate, awareness-driven food aid, it is possible to alleviate hunger and benefit the physical and mental health of millions around the world.

– Faye Crawford
Photo: Flickr

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Everything You Need to Know About Hunger in North Korea

Hunger in North KoreaAt first glance, the web of circumstances causing hunger in North Korea today seems impossible to untangle. The tangle has only grown in size and solidity since North Korea collectivized its agriculture in the 1950s. The country accomplished this transition without encountering the deadly food shortages suffered by other communist dictatorships, but it involved yoking nearly its entire food supply to tactics that, both literally and figuratively, eroded the ground under its feet.

The North Korean regime cleared away vegetation from mountains and hillsides to create more farmland, deforesting much of the countryside and leaving it more vulnerable to floods, erosion and drought. It made vital parts of its food infrastructure (chemical fertilizer factories, tractors, irrigation pumps and trucks for distributing grain) dependent on the importation of cheap, subsidized fuel from the Soviet Union. In 1957 it outlawed the trade of grain and devoted itself to outsized military spending and its founding communist ideology of self-sufficiency (Juche).

These elements came to a fatal head five decades later at a time when the country was possibly producing less than 60% of its food needs. Soviet petroleum subsidies ceased in 1989 and left the North Korean agricultural infrastructure without enough fuel to operate. Monsoons came in late June 1995 and flooded the now largely unobstructed countryside, drowned a quarter of North Korea’s rice paddies and covered some parts of the country in twenty-three inches of rain. Famine killed between 600,000 and two million North Koreans between 1995 and 1999 — 3-5% of the total population.

Attempts at Reform and Modern Hunger

Internal efforts to reform from 1996 to 2016 strained toward self-sufficiency without achieving it. Kim Jong Il’s 1996 reforms underestimated the country’s dependence on chemical fertilizer and the hegemony’s unwillingness to actively support reform. In 2012, Kim Jong Un instituted the Field Responsibility System (FRS), allowing farmers to keep any grain they produced in excess of their quota. His five-year plan, released in 2016, targeted an annual grain and fertilizer output of 8 million and 2.3 million tons respectively.

This growth required a 30% increase in grain output from 2014, but figures from the Food and Agricultural Organization suggest the target of 8 million tons was not reached. Farmers from the North who had come to South Korea were unaware that FRS reforms had even occurred, and despite efforts to increase domestic fertilizer production, over 250,000 tons had to be imported until 2018. In the meantime, the regime urged farmers to rely more on organic fertilizer. Chemical fertilizer production peaked in 1979 at 2.91 million tons. The output of cereals also peaked at just over 65 million tons in 1979. In the 44 years since, North Korea has never produced more.

Hunger in North Korea continues unabated. Citing Chinese customs data, a CNN report from March 3, 2023, shows the country exporting roughly 56 million kilograms of wheat and flour, along with 53,280 kilograms of cereals to North Korea in 2022. Seoul’s Rural Development Agency estimates that from 2021 to 2022 crop yields dropped by 4%. A clandestine source quoted in the South Korean paper Daily NK on Nov. 21, 2022, opens an urgent window on the subjective experience of hunger in North Korea today. “People with nothing to eat and nowhere to sleep are roaming around trains stations, markets and the streets, but neither the city party committee nor the people’s committee are taking measures to deal with it.”

Reasons for Hope

Despite all this, Peter Ward, writing for the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs in January 2023, begins to outline reasons for hope. North Koreans are resilient and resourceful. Surveys of refugees suggest they are getting much of their food by cultivating the sloping land in regions normally considered inhospitable to crops. This resourcefulness, combined with allowing farmers greater freedom to choose what they plant and tillage rights to their land might generate an increased productivity that could not only spur similar productivity in related industries (chemical fertilizer production) but give rural households a greater ability to purchase imported goods.

Furthermore, the World Food Program’s 2021 brief shows a substantial number of North Koreans directly benefiting from its efforts. From January to March of 2021, it distributed 891.5 metric tons of fortified food (food with added vitamins and nutrients) and 4,970 metric tons of raw food commodities to 566,886 people. This accounts for less than 3% of the country’s total population, but it is an impressive figure considering it was achieved in the teeth of a countrywide COVID-19 response that locked down North Korea’s borders with deadly force, closed many public and child institutions and eventually left no U.N. international staff in the country since March 2021.

Internal movements towards reform, continued international assistance and trade as the COVID-19 pandemic abates, and the resilience of the nation’s people are the hands inside and out that must continue to untangle hunger in North Korea, a problem that only seems unsolvable when the initial despair it inspires is not pushed through.

– John Merino
Photo: Flickr

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Food Insecurity in East Timor

Food Insecurity in East TimorEast Timor, a small nation located in Southeast Asia, is grappling with a silent crisis that continues to haunt its people – hunger. Despite some remarkable progress since gaining independence, food insecurity in East Timor remains a pressing issue for many Timorese, threatening the well-being of its population and hindering the nation’s development.

Current State of Food Insecurity in East Timor

East Timor’s history is marred by conflict and political instability, which has had profound implications for its food systems. According to the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2022, East Timor ranks 110th out of 121 countries, indicating a serious level of hunger. The GHI measures hunger on a scale from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more severe hunger. East Timor’s score of 30.6 places it in the category of “serious” hunger levels.

The challenges faced by East Timor in achieving food security are multifaceted. One crucial factor is the limited access to arable land. The country’s mountainous terrain and limited fertile areas make agricultural cultivation challenging. According to the U.N. Human Rights Office, only about 11% of East Timor’s total land area is suitable for agriculture, severely constraining the potential for increased food production.

Furthermore, extreme weather events pose a significant threat to food security in East Timor. The country is prone to cyclones such as El Niño, floods and droughts, which can lead to the destruction of crops and livestock, undermining farmers’ livelihoods and exacerbating hunger. Recently, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that the 2021 Cyclone Seroja in East Timor alone caused an economic loss of approximately 20 to 50% of the country’s GDP with total recovery costs of $422 million (25% of non-oil GDP).

Actions Addressing the Challenges

To address these challenges, the East Timorese government, with support from international organizations and NGOs, has implemented several initiatives. For instance, The World Bank’s Timor-Leste Agriculture Rehabilitation Project, launched in 2001, aims to improve the productivity and resilience of smallholder farmers by providing training, access to agricultural inputs and market linkages for the country post-independence.

Additionally, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been supporting the establishment of agricultural cooperatives in East Timor. These cooperatives enable small farmers to pool their resources, access credit and receive training in modern farming techniques, thus enhancing their productivity and income.

Infrastructure development is also crucial for improving food security. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been supporting East Timor in developing rural road networks and irrigation systems, totaling their investment of up to $210.83 million in irrigation and agricultural infrastructure. These investments are vital for facilitating the transportation of goods from rural areas to markets, reducing post-harvest losses and improving farmers’ access to inputs and services.

– Kent Anderson
Photo: Unsplash

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Everything You Need to Know About Hunger in Chad

Hunger in ChadThe landlocked nation of Chad, located in Central Africa, has continuously experienced challenges in addressing its ongoing poverty crisis. While many recent efforts by international programs have brought clean water and a steady supply of food to millions, hunger in Chad still affects many men, women and children there.

Conditions Causing Hunger in Chad

According to the World Food Program USA, 42% of Chad’s population is currently living below the poverty line. Additionally, the number of people that have been forcibly displaced in Chad has exceeded one million.

Chad also hosts more refugees than any other West or Central African nation, with more than 600,000 currently living in Chad. The influx of refugees across Chad’s border increased significantly after recent conflicts began in neighboring Sudan.

Extreme climate conditions have also caused more difficult growing seasons for agriculture throughout Chad, worsening the food crisis. A recent report by AP News stated that the Lake Chad Basin has become increasingly vulnerable to floods and droughts, which directly impacts food security.

Malnutrition in Chad

Hundreds of thousands of children were treated for severe acute malnutrition in Chad in 2021. Nearly 300,000 children under the age of five were treated that year, with UNICEF reporting that this number is increasing annually.

45.4% of women between the ages of 15 and 49 currently suffer from anemia in Chad. According to the Global Nutrition Report, Chad is “off course” in addressing several malnutrition-related health issues, including childhood overweight, sodium intake and obesity.

Efforts to Improve Hunger in Chad

The Global Hunger Index (GHI), which attributes a hunger score for various countries based on their levels of undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and child mortality, has given Chad a score of 37.2. This places Chad in the “alarming” category and ranked 117th out of 121 countries that are reviewed by the GHI. However, Chad has seen a decline in its GHI score in the years since 2000, when their score was listed at 50.7.

Action Against Hunger, a global organization that works to end hunger around the world, began working in Chad in 1981. Last year, with a team of 264 employees, Action Against Hunger helped over 1.2 million people suffering from hunger in Chad. The organization’s efforts included increased access to water, hygiene and food security programs.

The World Food Program (WFP) USA also aims to assist millions of people in Chad this year. To address the rising number of refugees in the nation, WFP USA plans to provide food to 100,000 refugees and host communities. Additionally, the organization will work with communities to improve assets such as warehouses for crops and will expand nutrition assistance to an additional 16 regions considered high-risk in Chad.

Overall, there are still many challenges to addressing hunger in Chad. However, the resilience of those living in the nation and the commitment of numerous international organizations to provide funding and support toward improving conditions in Chad present hope for a better future for millions.

– Tristan Weisenbach
Photo: Flickr