Archive for category: Hunger

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Addressing the Causes of Wealth Inequality in India

Wealth Inequality in India India is considered to be one of the foremost emerging economies in the world and has a rapidly growing Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Despite this, the annual Global Hunger Index (GHI) has put India at 100th place among 119 countries. This is a case where the GDP does not properly represent the country’s situation, as it is facing major wealth inequality. In India, the top 10 percent of the population control the country’s wealth, while the common people, more than a billion in number, fall along the lower end of the Hunger Index. The major causes of wealth inequality in India can be attributed to a large number of people in India being either unemployed or underemployed.

The country is experiencing poverty growth, as poverty will only increase with joblessness and lead to more hunger in the rural and semi-urban landscape. The hunger problem persists, despite the government spending to feed the people. In addition, this has prevented the country from allocating more fiscal resources toward infrastructure and other areas needed to develop the economy. Even with India having the world’s fastest-growing economy over the last three years, the problems persist.

It is not all negative though, as the undernourishment level and child mortality rate in the country has declined significantly since 1991, though the issues are still serious. The International Food Policy Research Institute said in a statement, “India was rated as ‘alarming’ in 2013 and has experienced an improvement in its GHI score over recent years. Since 2000, the country has reduced its GHI score by a quarter.” The statement continues on with, “India is making tremendous progress, but we have significant challenges ahead.”

In an attempt to address the causes of poverty and wealth inequality in India, among other countries, the United Nations declared a set of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at the start of the millennium, which they aimed to complete by 2015. After their inability to achieve this within the targeted date, the U.N. expanded and modified the goals to a total of 17 goals to be achieved by 2030, called Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The first two of these goals, featured in both MDGs and SDGs, are the removal of hunger and poverty. Since becoming a quickly emerging economy, India has pledged to work toward these goals. It has been committed to achieving SDGs, focusing specifically on ending poverty. The Indian government believes that if poverty can be removed, hunger will go along with it. Malnourishment comes from the inability to procure food because of a lack of money, so India remains a country of constraints with its large wealth disparity.

If we hope to combat the causes of wealth inequality in India, we must improve the underemployment of India. The National Institutions for Transforming India claims that a “severe under-employment” is the main problem facing India. According to the Institutions, in order to combat underemployment, and thus reduce poverty, “what is needed is the creation of high-productivity, high-wage jobs.”

– Drew Fox

Photo: Flickr

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Staving Off Post-Hurricane Hunger in Dominica

Staving Off Post-Hurricane Hunger in DominicaDominica, the first Caribbean island hit by Hurricane Maria, reported 27 people dead and hundreds of others missing as of October 9, 2017. Hunger in Dominica increases as the wait for food and other supplies to the island lengthens.

While Maria marks the fifth time that Dominica has withstood a direct hit from a hurricane, it has never been hit by one of such incredible force and magnitude, according to the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

According to onsite volunteers, a month after Hurricane Maria struck Dominica, island residents still lack clean water, adequate food and medical attention. One of two airports serving the country is out of commission. Roofs blew off in 95 percent of Dominica towns such as Portsmouth and Mahaut. No information exists on nearly nine remote communities, as communications are down in the more rural areas.

However, signs of the island nation’s restoration are finally becoming visible. Principal seaports have reopened, allowing NGOs to deliver food, water and necessities consistently.

The World Food Programme (WFP), working with the government of Dominica, distributed over 66 tons of food to approximately 30,000 people, supplying almost half the residents. Over 40 United Nations workers are on the ground to help the struggling community. WFP reports it now can distribute water and supplies to nearly all people, although the organization expects future hurdles.

On September 29, over 11 tons of WFP wheat biscuits containing high-protein cereals and vegetable fat arrived in Dominica. The organization distributed aid by helicopter to interior communities and waterfront communities by ship. Ultimately, the WFP intends to distribute food to approximately 25,000 residents over the next three months. The organization is in discussions with the government to develop a functional system to supply Dominica’s residents with meal vouchers that will be valid once local shops reopen.

The U.N.’s central goal is to help people feel confident and stable. WFP officials project that if residents of Dominica have access to food, water and shelter, belief in that security provides the psychological lift necessary to withstand hunger in Dominica.

– Heather Hopkins

Photo: Flickr

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Protect Drought Vital to End Hunger in Uganda

Hunger in UgandaLocated between South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, while also struggling against the Lord’s Resistance Army, hunger in Uganda is a major issue that the country, as well as 800,000 refugees, are facing every day. Uganda as a whole produces more food than it consumes, but because of the prevalence of poverty in the country, many of its 39 million people cannot afford to buy all of the food they need.

Only 4 percent of households in Uganda have had food security over the past six years. This is related to the food shortages and destitute diets that have also come from dealing with climate change, urbanization, the inconsistencies of Ugandan policies and poor public financing.

Hunger in Uganda has also been caused by the lack of water. A growing population has led to stresses on water and sanitation services. 24 million people in rural areas do not have access to water, which has increased the incidence of water-related diseases such as diarrhea and dysentery. Each week, 30,000 deaths are caused by unsafe water.

The lack of food has led to malnutrition among children, including refugees. It has been estimated that 33 percent of children under five are enduring chronic undernourishment and stunted growth. Only one in three children actually have food to eat during the day, while stunting affects 29 percent of children and rises to 40 percent in certain areas and among refugees.

Organizations like Action Against Hunger have made efforts to help Uganda. They focus on nutrition, health and care practices, and have helped 148,420 people. They have been able to reach some of the most vulnerable children in refugee settlements and treat life-threatening malnutrition. Action Against Hunger has helped strengthen the local capacity while training locals to be able to provide treatment. They have plans to help prevent malnutrition as well as to gather more information on malnutrition in order to prevent it in the future.

The World Food Programme also helps Uganda by providing cash and food assistance to people in need. They have also set up the “cash/food-for-work” program to ensure there is food during the lean seasons. This program helps communities build tree farms, orchards, irrigation systems, water ponds and dams to help them better endure droughts.

While the poverty rate in Uganda has declined from 31 to 19.7 percent, the fact that the population is still growing means that the number of poor people has not decreased. To combat this, the work the aforementioned groups are doing is vital to help Ugandans become self-sufficient in growing food and end hunger in Uganda.

– Chavez Spicer

Photo: Flickr

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Hunger in New Caledonia Tied to Unemployment Rates

New Caledonia is a group of islands situated in the South Pacific Ocean. Although it is a part of French territory, it enjoys a considerable degree of autonomy. In recent years, unrest in the region has negatively impacted the economy, leading to increased poverty and hunger in New Caledonia.

Current Realities

Dissatisfaction among various factions due to societal disparities intensified after the 2021 referendum, leading to significant turmoil and widespread protests. This unrest had a detrimental effect on the economy, pushing New Caledonia to the brink of bankruptcy. Consequently, many people have lost their jobs, businesses have shut down and incomes have declined. As a result, poverty levels have increased and food insecurity has become a pressing issue throughout the region, especially among the Indigenous Kanak population. 

  • The poverty rate in the region is approximately 19.1%, with a significantly higher rate of 45.8% in rural areas. 
  • The national unemployment rate stands at 11.2%, but it reaches around 38% for the Indigenous population.  
  • Undernourishment is prevalent in 6% of the population.

Drivers of Hunger and Poverty

The pandemic and the political turmoil are the main drivers for rising poverty, unemployment and hunger in New Caledonia, severely impacting the economy and the population in various ways.

  1. Nickel Mining– Protests, riots and blockades have led to a reduced workforce, disruptions in supply chains, and the destruction of equipment and infrastructure, resulting in financial losses and unemployment.
  2. Tourism Decline– COVID-19, along with the subsequent riots and protests, has negatively impacted the tourism industry, leading to a significant decline in the number of tourists and the loss of thousands of jobs.
  3. Reduced Investment– The security situation has led to a lack of trust among foreign companies, which has decreased foreign investments. Consequently, the GDP has dropped by 20% since early 2024. 
  4. Dependence on France- New Caledonia receives substantial aid from France, accounting for 15% of its GDP. However, this assistance hinders the government from implementing its own policies to reduce poverty among the vulnerable population. 
  5. Destruction of Businesses- The riots and violence have damaged infrastructure and businesses, resulting in the loss of investments and income for the common man in the region. 
  6. High cost of living– The high cost of living in the region has adversely impacted the population, with the Kanaks suffering the most. This situation has further exacerbated poverty and hunger among the vulnerable population in New Caledonia.

Path to Progress

Despite the challenges, the local government, international organizations and the French government are working to improve the situation in the region. The French government has provided an additional $136 million to help revive local businesses. Additionally, the United Nations is supporting the Indigenous population in their fight for equal rights and opportunities. With these combined efforts, there is hope for a better future for the vulnerable population in New Caledonia. 

– Maria Waleed

Photo: Wikemedia
Updated: December 17, 2024

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Counteracting Hunger in Paraguay

Hunger in ParaguayA small country in Latin America with a population of approximately seven million people, Paraguay is located between Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil. Paraguay falls under the Latin American average when it comes to poverty and wellness. Furthermore, hunger in Paraguay is a large problem that needs to be addressed.

Paraguay is one of the poorest countries in Latin America. The poverty rate is around forty percent. U.N. Special Rapporteur, Hilal Elver, visited the country in 2016. She said, “Paraguay has struggled to address inequalities -higher than in most neighboring countries- and important segments of society are still excluded from the country’s economic development and suffer from food insecurity.”

Overall, ten percent of the population live in extreme poverty, while the number grows for people living in rural areas. Over fifty percent of indigenous peoples live in extreme poverty. The people in the rural areas suffering from poverty rely heavily on agriculture for their livelihood.

The inequalities between elite landholders and the rural poor only exacerbate the consequences of poverty. After conducting her report, the U.N. Special Rapporteur reported that 10 percent of people in Paraguay face hunger and malnutrition. This is despite the impressive economic growth and the fact that Paraguay produces food for almost nine times its population.

While other issues are to blame for the underlying causes of poverty and hunger, the outlook is a hopeful one. A lot is being done to counteract hunger in Paraguay. The country is on track to reach its goal of ending undernourishment by 2020.

Organizations such as the World Food Programme are instituting plans and projects to help fight hunger in Paraguay. Their current programs partner with other organizations, specifically those operating locally in Paraguay, to ensure food security.

Working with these vulnerable communities who not only suffer from economic inequality, but also hunger, will help the current situation in Paraguay. It is imperative that a country with vast food resources feed its people. Hunger in Paraguay should not be a problem, especially with its growing economy.

– Emilia Beuger

Photo: Flickr

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Hunger in Malta Closely Linked to History of Poverty

Malta is an island nation in the Mediterranean Sea, located off the coast of Italy. Due to its strategic location, it has been ruled by various nations over the centuries and it was not until 1964 that it gained independence from the United Kingdom. Despite being one of the world’s smallest countries, it faces challenges with hunger, which is closely linked to poverty.

A Closer Look

  • Malta has a population of 553,000 and around 90,000 people, or one in five individuals, live below the poverty line.
  • Poverty disproportionately affects children under the age of 18 and adults over 65, with rates of 23% and 29% respectively. 
  • Over the last two decades, the poverty rate has risen from 14% in 2006 to 16% in 2024. 
  • Hunger and food insecurity in Malta are closely linked to poverty, as people cannot afford to feed themselves and their families adequately. The percentage of malnourished individuals has increased from 2.5% in 2018 to 4.6% in 2021, highlighting the seriousness of the situation.
  • The pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian war, combined with decreased local agriculture, have caused food prices to increase by at least 20%. 

Underlying Factors

  • Dependence on Imports– Malta has limited arable land and climate change has resulted in water scarcity, making large-scale agriculture difficult. The country’s high population density and strong focus on tourism have led to converting agricultural land into recreational areas, further diminishing food production. As a result, Malta imports the majority of its food, making it vulnerable to fluctuations in global prices and supply disruptions.
  • Economic Crisis- Malta’s economy is significantly dependent on tourism, which was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in widespread unemployment. Those who had already lost their jobs faced even more difficulties as the global economic crisis and rising inflation further strained their financial situations.

Support Measures

Various organizations and the Maltese government have intensified efforts to support the vulnerable population in combatting poverty and hunger. This section highlights some of these measures to show their importance and effects.

  • Food Banks- Many nonprofit organizations in Malta operate food banks and kitchens, which provide free meals to the food-insecure and vulnerable population. One of these kitchens alone served 27,000 people in 2023.
  • Employment assistance- Jobsplus is a national employment agency that offers training and skills development programs to unemployed individuals, helping them find jobs. Such measures aim to address the root causes of poverty and provide long-term sustainable solutions. 

Path Ahead

In conclusion, Malta is facing challenges, but the government and local organizations are making a positive impact through their initiatives. However, to achieve long-term solutions, continued efforts in promoting local agriculture, economic diversification and unemployment reduction are needed to ensure food security and reduce poverty.

– Liyanga De Silva and Maria Waleed

Photo: Flickr
Updated: November 12, 2024

Food Waste and Hunger in Trinidad and Tobago

A small Caribbean nation with less than 1.4 million people, Trinidad and Tobago faces a serious hunger problem that is afflicting its citizens. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), roughly 100,000 people are undernourished, which accounts for nearly 7.5 percent of the nation’s population. The rest of the Caribbean and Latin America has an average undernourishment rate of only 5.5 percent of the population, which signals how serious hunger in Trinidad and Tobago is.

One of the major reasons for the sheer amount of hunger in the nation is how much food it wastes every year. According to the World Bank, Trinidad and Tobago is the most wasteful country per urban capita in the world.

At a conference launching the nonprofit organization Nourish TT, Dr. Lystra Fletcher-Paul reported that the Caribbean and Latin America waste a staggering 78 million tons of food annually, which totals 6 percent of global food production, and Trinidad and Tobago is the most wasteful country in the region.

Fletcher-Paul said: “The FAO estimates that in T&T if we were to reduce the food losses at the retail level, we would have enough food to reduce, by 50 percent, the undernourished people in the country.” That only includes food wasted in retail. If waste from all sources could be eliminated, the FAO calculates, all the undernourished people in Trinidad and Tobago could be fed.

With a GDP per capita in the world’s top 60, Trinidad and Tobago has an economic infrastructure more than capable of feeding its citizens, yet more than one in 10 citizens goes hungry. Organizations such as Nourish TT are doing their best to help eliminate food waste and ensure that hungry people receive the nourishment they need.

Similarly, the United Nations Development Programme has implemented the MDG1 program to help eliminate poverty and hunger in Trinidad and Tobago as well as other nations. Programs like MDG1 identify areas of critical need such as improving education, growing non-fossil fuel industries and helping reform healthcare and workers’ rights. With programs such as these in place to eliminate waste, hunger in Trinidad and Tobago looks to be a problem on its way to ending.

– Erik Halberg

Photo: Flickr

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Pope and Catholic Church Target Hunger in Vatican City

Hunger_in_Vatican_CityOn July 4, 2017, Pope Francis made a vibrant statement regarding the world’s suffering and hungry. He declared world hunger to be a direct result of nothing less than indifference and selfishness. Further, he saw the effects of these same problems in his immediate surroundings—there is hunger in Vatican City. Since the beginning of his service, Pope Francis has made addressing poverty, hunger and homelessness some of the most important goals for the Catholic Church in hopes to lead by example.

Due largely to the Catholic Church’s presence in the world’s smallest country, many of the poor and needy draw near to the Vatican. As the impoverished seek refuge, hunger is becoming a bigger problem for the Church to address. With Pope Francis at the helm of the Vatican’s efforts, the needy are being tended to with a vigorous priority.

Pope Francis has personally addressed hunger by appealing to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and pointing out the “uneven distribution of resources and the lack of agricultural development.” The Vatican has sponsored several refugees and their families facing the challenges of displacement, especially hunger. Further, the rest of Europe’s Catholic community has been encouraged to follow suit in accepting, housing and aiding those seeking refuge.

Contrary to tradition, Pope Francis insists on mobilizing the church by sending out the Vatican’s almoner. In the past, the almoner waits for letters from the poor for guidance on how to meet needs. However, Polish Archbishop Konrad Krajewski has taken to the streets of Vatican City in attempts to help the poor and hungry. Krajewski’s method aligns with the rumors of Pope Francis instructing him to “sell his desk” since he would not be needing it.

One of the more controversial techniques to fight hunger in Vatican City came with a corporate lease of a Vatican building to McDonald’s in 2016. While some members of the Church and the Catholic community responded with alternative uses of the building, like housing the homeless, that attitude has since shifted as McDonald’s promised to hand out over 1,000 meals to the poor in their first six months of operations.

The 2030 Development Agenda of the U.N. reflects this same commitment of the Catholic Church. The fight for universal food security cannot be put off and Pope Francis recognizes that it is a demanding task. However, intentions to provide for everyone are not enough. Rather, people need to make a commitment to their country to increase the level of nutrition, to improve agricultural operations, to improve living conditions of rural communities and promote effective distribution of resources like food supplies. When a country is unable to provide for its people, then intergovernmental institutions need to step in. As Pope Francis said in his July 4 address, every person has a right to be free from poverty and hunger. Further, it is the duty of the entire human family to intervene and actually do something about it.

– Taylor Elkins

Photo: Flickr;

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Poverty and Hunger in Finland

Hunger in Finland

In America, Finland (along with its fellow Scandinavian nations) is often portrayed as a utopia bereft of human suffering and a model for the rest of the world. The simple truth, however, is that economic troubles in Finland are real, and the nation has had its own set of struggles in the wake of the Great Recession.

The Finnish labor market has experienced three recessions since the 2007-2008 financial crisis. Business Insider reports that Finland suffered the worst economic contraction of any Eurozone nation during that same crisis. The country’s public debt doubled to more than 60 percent of its GDP by 2015.

According to Eurostat, as of August 2017, Finland’s unemployment rate stood at 8.7 percent. That number is not bad, but could be better. Today, 35 percent of Finland’s unemployed are long-term unemployed, representing a significant challenge for the nation as a whole.

However, the potential for these issues to cause poverty and hunger in Finland has been mitigated by the nation’s public welfare system. No one in Finland lives below the international poverty line due to a wide net of benefits covering both the young and the old. According to OECD data, the poverty rate ratio is only 0.04. Social spending at 30.8 percent of GDP and a well-funded, efficient public schooling system undoubtedly contribute to these successes. And there are other innovative ideas as well.

Those who pay close attention to American politics will know that 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton recently revealed that she considered running on a platform of universal basic income, a plan she scrapped because she could not make the numbers work. Earlier this year, the Finnish government started a test run for that very same idea.

Finland’s idea was to give 2,000 Finns ages 25 to 28 who had been unemployed for a year or more, or had less than six months of work experience, a monthly subsidy of €560 for two years, regardless of whether they found work.

However, after a government pushing austerity came to power, the trial size was cut to one-fifth of the original plan, making it too small to be scientifically useful, and regular social programs were scaled back, making it even more difficult to measure the program’s effects. The program may or may not help alleviate poverty and encourage economic growth, but it will be hard to know given the small sample size and lack of controls. Still, the presence of ideas like this show a healthy willingness to experiment by trial and error.

Earlier this year, the Finnish central bank affirmed that Finland finally seems to be emerging from the Great Recession. The bank forecasts that this year will see exports recover and GDP growth reach 1.3 percent, in part due to the Competitiveness Pact signed last year. Strong social programs, powered by economic activity inherent in free and open markets, will hopefully keep poverty and hunger in Finland at a historic low.

– Chuck Hasenauer

Photo: Flickr

Hunger in Ukraine Amid Conflict

Hunger in Ukraine

Once seen as the “breadbasket of Europe” because of its rich resources, Ukraine has since had tumultuous issues regarding hunger.

Hunger in Ukraine is a prevalent issue due to years of war and conflict. The 2014 Ukraine crisis — in which Russia controversially annexed Crimea — soon led the eastern part of the country to erupt in war, creating widespread political and economic upheaval. Since 2014, there have been multiple ceasefires, but none have been able to successfully quell the conflict.

Facing the Effects of Conflict

The war exacerbated hunger in Ukraine, particularly in the easternmost regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. A 2019 U.S. Agency and International Development report found that approximately 558,000 people in Ukraine were food insecure and 103,000 people were severely food insecure. In 2016, Ukraine was the only European country to receive assistance from the World Food Programme, an organization that began its efforts in the region in 2014.

In 2016, the WFP reported that as eastern Ukraine reeled from this geopolitical conflict, 1.5 million people were left hungry and nearly 300,000 people needed near-immediate assistance. The WFP gave 370,000 people monthly food packages and 180,000 people assistance through cash transfers, according to a 2016 press release.

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization stated in a December 2017 report that Ukrainians living in rural areas most heavily affected by the war were the most at risk for hunger. The report concluded that the most at-risk populations in the region needed $5.9 million in immediate assistance.

Before the FAO released the report, the organization delivered $2.3 million worth of seed potatoes to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The initiative was part of the organization’s attempt to bolster agriculture in the conflict-ridden regions and stymie issues of hunger and food insecurity.

“This is a hard time in the conflict area, and it is important that we use the short window of planting season,” said Farrukh Toirov, FAO’s emergency response program coordinator in Ukraine circa May 2017.

Toirov continued, “I see an essential need to continue distributing high-quality inputs like vegetable seeds that can improve the self-production of food for household consumption and also enrich local markets.”

To combat hunger in Ukraine, USAID’s Office of Food for Peace donated more than $4 million during its 2019 fiscal year to non-governmental organizations to offer food assistance to people in the most affected regions.

Changes in Aid for Hunger in Ukraine

Despite the ongoing crisis, Ukraine has seen some improvement in food security over the last 20 years. According to the Global Hunger Index, Ukraine had a score of less than five in 2019, indicating that it had an overall low level of hunger. In 2000, the Global Hunger Index gave Ukraine a score of 13.7, showing that the country had moderately higher levels of hunger.

But even though most of Ukraine does not deal with pervasive hunger, millions in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions continue to deal with food insecurity, and international efforts have slowed in recent years.

The WFP halted its efforts in tackling hunger in Ukraine in 2018, citing a lack of funding and access. Even in four years, the WFP delivered food assistance to millions of Ukrainians and pumped $60 million into the Donetsk and Luhansk economies.

“In those four years, WFP touched many lives across the country and those lives touched us too,” the organization wrote in a Medium post. “WFP will continue to monitor the food security situation in the country while other humanitarian actors will take over assisting the most vulnerable.”

Currently, organizations like the FAO and USAID are continuing to pump millions of dollars in food assistance and agriculture, hoping to eventually relieve hunger in eastern Ukraine amid immense conflict.

– Meghna Maharishi
Photo: Flickr