Archive for category: Poverty Reduction

Information and stories about poverty reduction.

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Lessons From Venezuela’s Plan Bolivar 2000

Plan Bolivar 2000
Venezuela is facing a grave humanitarian emergency, with the National Survey of Living Conditions finding that about three-quarters of the population live in extreme poverty in 2021. Unemployment is spreading, public services and basic supplies are scant and hyperinflation is lingering. Critics blame President Nicolás Maduro for driving Venezuela’s once-promising oil-led economy to a failed petro-state. On top of economic mismanagement, Maduro’s government oversees “brutal policing practices,” jailed political opponents and “poor prison conditions,” giving way to an escalating refugee crisis with around 5.5 million Venezuelans fleeing the country since 2014, according to data from October 2020. The circumstances today are a far cry from about 20 years ago when the government aimed to reduce poverty in Venezuela through a project called Plan Bolivar 2000. Though the project came to a premature end, the lessons from Plan Bolivar 2000 can guide future poverty reduction programs in Venezuela.

Plan Bolivar 2000

Launched in February 1999, newly-elected president Hugo Chavez developed Plan Bolivar as part of a mission to engage the national military in anti-poverty activities and pull the country out of the recession. Plan Bolivar included efforts from the Air Force to provide free travel to those urgently in need while the Navy helped to fix refrigerators and established fishing cooperatives. The National Guard engaged in policing and constructing homes for the impoverished and soldiers gave mass vaccinations and food distributions. Literacy programs also formed part of Plan Bolivar 2000.

Plan Bolivar 2000 saw success in its first year — the program’s efforts led to the reparation of “thousands of schools, hospitals, clinics, homes, churches and parks.” More than 2 million disadvantaged people “received medical treatment” and more than 2 million children received crucial vaccinations, among other successes, Venezuelanalysis.com said. The Venezuelan government also reported increases in literacy.

The Flaws in the Plan

The program placed a significant amount of money in the hands of the military. Chavez’s $114 million fund for Plan Bolivar 2000 gave officials a newfound sense of power — In 2018, Venezuelan officials arrested General Victor Cruz Weffer, the army commander overseeing the program, on charges of illicit enrichment through offshore accounts.

Chavez canceled Plan Bolivar in 2002, intending to divert money away from the military and toward “allies in mayoral and state offices.” This spurred a small group of high-ranking military officers to briefly arrest Chavez, who, upon release, “purged the [military’s] top ranks” and diluted the power of the Defense Ministry.

Chavez filled the Ministry with officials who supported his leftist ideals and gave them access to cabinet posts as well as control of banks. He also forced military officials to pledge allegiance to him, appointed numerous “military officials to helm agencies” across the country and named countless “new flag officers” – a practice that his successor Maduro continued after taking power in 2013. According to Venezuelan NGO Citizen Control, by 2017, “active and former military figures had held as many as half of Maduro’s 32 cabinet posts.”

Lasting Effects

These actions confused the military hierarchy and created a “jumbled and partisan chain of command,” according to a Reuters investigation. Top officials spend more time pleasing the Socialist Party and commanding troops through civic duties than they do organizing military affairs.

With intelligence agents embedded in the military, many officers fear speaking out against Maduro and the possibility of facing arrest. This, paired with the high pay and power positions that top officials receive, means that the military’s loyalty to Maduro is strong and unfading.

Armed forces make up a significant part of Maduro’s support, with many officers doubling as ministers or holding other influential positions in his government. Despite his economic mismanagement and human rights violations, which led to “more than 20 countries [recognizing] opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president” by January 2019, Maduro remains in power.

Humanitarian Efforts to Help Venezuela

World Vision is assisting Venezuelans who have fled to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil, through its Hope Without Borders project. Refugees receive food, shelter, medicine and hygiene kits as well as psychological assistance through child-friendly spaces. As of June 2021, World Vision had provided assistance to more than 71,000 Venezuelan refugees.

Key Takeaways From the Plan

Due to years of corruption and military bloating, Plan Bolivar 2000 failed. However, its early years saw numerous successes across the country, with the military standing as a force for good in providing education, housing and health care to those in need. As Venezuela suffers now more than ever, it can consider Plan Bolivar’s success, as well as the reasons for its failure, as a lesson to inform future poverty alleviation programs.

– Imogen Scott
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Politics and Poverty Reduction in Bolivia

Poverty Reduction in Bolivia
Although Bolivia does show signs of growth, economic and political difficulties have marred its few successes. In addition to having one of the highest rates of poverty in South America, corruption, political persecution and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic hamper Bolivia. These issues distract from efforts to improve the lives of the nearly 4 million Bolivians living in poverty in 2018, politicizing programs like the “Patriotic 2025 Bicentennial Agenda” which is supposed to work toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Thus, the very people who should be ending poverty are hampering poverty reduction in Bolivia.

Corruption in Bolivia

With Bolivia experiencing political turmoil, its politicians have often squandered the limited resources available to the nation. In 2017, ex-president Evo Morales built a $7 million museum dedicated to himself in the town of Orinoca, where 90% of the population lives below the poverty line. Interim-president Jeanine Añez’s brief administration included several examples of corruption, with both her Interior Minister and Health Minister receiving a charge of graft, the latter making a profit off of government-bought ventilators during the pandemic.

This has meant that funds intended to fight poverty in Bolivia have disappeared. A 2021 evaluation of the previous year’s government budget found that actual spending on public programs was always significantly lower than the expected amount, suggesting widespread corruption. The budget has also seen a decrease in funds appropriated for public services, further hampering anti-poverty efforts. Given this, Bolivia has been incredibly fortunate to see its poverty rate decline as dramatically as it has over the last 10 decades, but this is mostly due to an unsustainable boom in oil and natural gas. Institutional weaknesses thus present a major challenge to an economy reliant on volatile resource extraction.

Protests in Bolivia

Deepening Bolivia’s woes are the ongoing dispute between Bolivia’s socialist party, Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS), and the country’s opposition parties. In 2019, protests erupted over whether incumbent socialist president Evo Morales could run for an unconstitutional fourth term, as well as the fraudulent nature of the election which gave him a sweeping victory. Following MAS’ return to power in 2020 after an interim government, and the election of Morales’ ally Luis Arce as President, many of those that participated in the interim government received charges of sedition. This includes President Jeanine Añez, who received a 10-year sentence in prison for staging a “coup” despite not having involvement with the 2019 protests. The upheaval and resources wasted on these political fights have ground Bolivia’s economic growth to a halt, with the pandemic only accentuating the country’s dire situation.

The International Response

These breaches of democracy have also drawn the attention of other international actors, straining Bolivia’s already tense geopolitical situation. President Arce attacked the Organization of American States (OAS) for interfering with the 2019 elections, to which the OAS responded by reaffirming it only documented instances of fraud and was concerned about the persecution of MAS’ political opponents. Similarly, the European Union and the U.S. State Department have expressed disapproval over the politically motivated imprisonments.

All of this prevents international aid from reaching the struggling nation, handicapping efforts to fight poverty in Bolivia. Following President Morales’ election in 2005, he expelled the U.S. ambassador and rejected assistance from USAID, permanently removing the latter by 2013. Morales chose to focus on short-term economic growth and reducing inequality, leveraging the country’s oil and gas resources to make significant reductions in the poverty rate by 2015. However, it is uncertain whether Bolivia’s extraction-based economy will be successful in the long run, or whether it made a mistake in shutting the door to aid.

Poverty Reduction in Bolivia

Even amid economic and political uncertainty, progress is occurring to promote poverty reduction in Bolivia. President Luis Arce’s government has seen a reduction in the extreme poverty rate from 13.7% to 11.1% in 2021, suggesting the economy might be rebounding after the pandemic. In addition, the yearly ‘National Report’ emphasizes Bolivia’s commitment to 13 ‘pillars’ of development, including the end of extreme poverty and investment in public health. With the report stressing Bolivia’s commitment to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), fighting poverty may be making a comeback in public policy.

– Samuel Bowles
Photo: Unsplash

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The Success of Poverty Reduction in Cambodia

poverty reduction in Cambodia
Over the last decade, poverty reduction in Cambodia has successfully reached and exceeded governmental goals. Significant economic growth and an increase in earnings allowed Cambodia to reduce poverty by more than half since 2009.

History of Poverty and Instability in Cambodia

In the 1970s, the Khmer Rouge, a communist movement, took control of Cambodia. Through a five-year civil war, it was able to gain control of the country, maintaining control for the following four years.

The ultimate goal of the Khmer Rouge was to transform Cambodia into an entirely agrarian state, and it did this by slaughtering anyone perceived to be an intellectual and by emptying the country’s cities. The Khmer Rouge movement killed hundreds of thousands of Cambodians during the four-year period that Khmer Rouge had control, and even more people died from disease or starvation.

Despite a short four-year reign for the Khmer Rouge, 30 years of violence and instability followed. Cambodia now had to recover from a massive genocidal effort, the effects of which resulted in as much as 40% of the population still in poverty by 2009.

Poverty Reduction Efforts

Following the fall of the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia underwent the daunting task of reopening itself to the international market and rebuilding its governmental structure. According to the World Bank, “Cambodia’s open borders to international trade and investment have helped attract foreign direct investment to support manufacturing, construction, and tourism.” Such efforts have resulted in consistent economic growth.

The Cambodian government has committed to revising its poverty line procedure every 15 years. This is necessary because rapid economic growth requires consistent reevaluation of poverty standards and allows the government to better monitor poverty reduction in Cambodia. The current poverty line requires someone to earn less than $2.70 a day to be considered in poverty.

Additionally, a new cash transfer program launched in June 2020, benefitting around 2.8 million Cambodians. This program demonstrates the continuous and novel efforts of the Cambodian government toward once again creating economic and political stability throughout.

Poverty Reduction Effects

As a result of the aforementioned efforts, around 17.8% of the Cambodian population was in poverty as of 2020, compared to 40% in 2009. This means that in just over a decade, poverty in Cambodia has reduced by more than half.

The Cambodian government has successfully exceeded its poverty reduction goals. While it committed to an annual 1% decrease, it has achieved an annual 1.6% decrease.

Quality of life factors has also improved. According to the World Bank, “from 2000 to 2017, life expectancy increased from 58 years to 69; the under-five mortality rate decreased from 107 to 29 per 1,000 live births; and primary school completion rate increased from 51% to 90%.”

Efforts in poverty reduction in Cambodia over the past decade have been overwhelmingly successful. A combination of international trade and government oversight has allowed for economic growth within Cambodia, increasing stability for those living there. The results reflect significant reductions in poverty across the country.

– Eleanor Corbin
Photo: Flickr

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Sunflower Production in Tanzania Reduces Poverty

Sunflower Production in Tanzania
Tanzania is among the top 10 nations producing the most sunflower oilseed with an output of 350,000 tons per year. Sunflower oilseed has many commercial uses — it can be used as an ingredient in cosmetic products as well as medicines and can serve as a cooking oil. According to a research paper, in 2013, the national sunflower trade produced 32% of Tanzania’s edible cooking oil. This trade also provides 35% of Africa’s and 2.4% of the world’s sunflower production. Small-scale farmers dominate sunflower production in Tanzania — about 24 million residents engaged in the industry in 2016. As such, sunflower production in Tanzania has the potential to improve the welfare and livelihoods of low-income households.

The Sunflower Industry in Tanzania

Because the flower grows well in a dry land where other crops cannot, this plant is grown across the nation. However, there are obstacles that prevent farmers from benefiting from the full potential of sunflower production, resulting in lower quality and productivity of the plant, and thus, low return on investment. These include inadequate farming machinery and restricted access to value-added markets and services.

A 2020 research paper stated that the gross profit margin of sunflower farming in the Iramba district of Tanzania is $18.71 per acre with a Return on Investment of 16% per acre. However, in its poverty analysis, the study found that income from sunflower farming could not meet the international poverty line of $1.90 per day, equating to daily per capita earnings of only $0.07, which falls significantly short. Therefore, although sunflower production in the Iramba district remains a popular trade, 52% of households in the district live in poverty, earning an average of 85,125Tsh per month ($38.5 monthly).

Involving Women and Youth

The Tanzanian government has encouraged the involvement of women and youth in sunflower commercialization through government policy to provide more opportunities in the workforce and alleviate poverty among these groups. However, other factors limit their ability to fully participate in this market, such as a lack of financial capital and restricted access to land.

As Future Agricultures stated that “Land access problems among women and youth in Tanzania are, for instance, largely the result of cultural restrictions on the ownership of ancestral land. Regarding financial capital, women and youth cannot access loans from commercial banks because of their low ownership of assets used by banks as collateral.”

This results in stark contrast of participation and productivity levels across age and gender. Only 22% of young farmers take part in sunflower production in Tanzania as opposed to 78% of older farmers. Although a high percentage of female-led households are participating in sunflower farming, only a fraction of these households include young female farmers. In addition, older female farmers sell significantly fewer quantities of sunflowers as opposed to older male farmers, at 65% and 71% respectively.

Solutions

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has been working in collaboration with Tanzania’s Ministry of Industry and Trade since 2012 to reform the nation’s agro-industry and strengthen the value of local goods, including sunflower oil, in the national and international markets.

UNIDO international experts working together with national consultants have provided enterprises with diagnostic services and aid in upgrading and modernizing the production process. This includes business consults that advise producers to form clusters and jointly invest in marketing actions and storage facilities that will result in higher competitiveness and productivity. In addition, UNIDO is collaborating with various organizations to increase access to modern machinery.

However, to reach and assist women and young farmers in this trade, it is evident that policymakers in Tanzania must support policies that increase resource access among these groups, specifically agricultural land and financial capital.

Looking Ahead

Sunflower production in Tanzania is a popular trade with great potential. However, the country must take additional steps to significantly lower levels of poverty in the nation. Farmers are unable to receive the full benefits of this crop due to outdated machinery and limited access to lucrative markets. Women and young farmers in particular face greater obstacles when joining the trade. However, by working to improve resource access, sunflower productivity and competitiveness can increase and begin to lift many households out of poverty.

– Kimberly Calugaru
Photo: Flickr

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Mangrove Conservation in Indonesia Helps Reduce Poverty

Mangrove Conservation in Indonesia
Mangroves grow in salty water and thrive in conditions that most timbers cannot tolerate. The Indonesian government has set up a goal of rehabilitating 600,000 hectares (1.5 million acres) of mangroves by 2024. In 2021, the country had 10.1% of its population living below the national poverty line. Mangrove conservation in Indonesia plays an important role in improving the ecosystem as well as the economy.

Benefits of Mangrove Planting

Mangroves have several environmental benefits. These trees or shrubs provide habitats for different species such as fish, birds, reptiles and mollusks. Mangroves also act as shelters for hatchlings, providing both nutrition and safety.

In 2012, USAID and the Indonesian NGO Yayasan Gajah Sumatera (Yagasu) worked with Rusli, a local fisherman in Paluh Kurau in Langkat, North Sumatra, Indonesia, along with other fishermen. The aim was to create a “community-based mangrove forest restoration effort” and then research the ways coastal villages can derive advantages from mangroves.

Research indicates that mangroves can reduce poverty by generating income. Based on the data from USAID, coastal communities experienced a growth in income by 60% from 2009 to 2016 by means of conserving mangroves. The mangrove planting has led to an increase in the production of other species as well: “[seven] to 12 tons of crab, [three] to [five] tons of shrimp and 500 to 700 tons of fish per week.”

Mangroves provide natural resources to create products that individuals can later sell in the market. Individuals can use the branches and roots of mangroves for the natural coloring of fabrics. With these fabrics, locals can produce dresses and shirts. Furthermore, the fruits from mangroves “can be processed into flour” for baking.

Empowering Indonesian Women

A group of women from Tanjung Rejo and neighboring villages started utilizing natural coloring to create batik fabric and clothing. Yagasu and USAID assisted these women in establishing a business and gave training in “management, design technique and quality control.” Eventually, Yagasu, in partnership with the Livelihoods Fund, flew these women to an exhibition in Paris, France, to display their products. Purchasers for the luxury goods company Hermès liked the women’s colorful designs and signed a contract with the women to provide the company with “high-quality mangrove-colored fabrics.”

In 2014, Hamidah, a housewife in Tanjung Rejo, received USAID training to create batik material and food products using mangroves. She also received business management training to advance her small business and increase her family’s income while helping other community members to increase their business skills too.

MONMANG App for Monitoring Mangroves

The country of Indonesia has the largest mangrove ecosystem globally, with more than 3.5 million hectares of mangroves, which equates to about 23% of the world’s mangrove ecosystem.

The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) developed the MONMANG smartphone app to monitor and track mangroves in Indonesia. Through monitoring via the app, data is collected, which researchers can then use to create a Mangrove Health Index (MHI).

The app can be used to “perform data input and analysis directly from the field site while monitoring mangroves.” In addition, the app “provides structural parameters of mangrove communities, such as density, morphological size, frequency [and] dominance.”

The data that MONMANG provided will help to ensure the process of mangrove conservation in Indonesia is on the right track. Therefore, the advent of this android-based app will ensure social and economic stability for communities relying on and living close to mangrove ecosystems. MONMANG plays an imperative role in protecting the coastal environment by collecting and summarizing thousands of data points to inform local and international research on mangroves.

Looking Ahead

Mangrove planting improves the living conditions in Indonesia by reducing poverty and providing natural resources. As the mangrove conservation in Indonesia continues, the nation will reach its 2024 rehabilitation goal and continue exploring the benefits mangroves can bring to the community.

– Jiaying Guo
Photo: Flickr

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Poverty in the UAE and Sheikh Khalifa’s Death

Poverty in the UAE
The president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, passed away on May 13, 2022, at the age of 73. The leader’s health had been declining since suffering a stroke in 2014. Many expect that his brother and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed, will step into the role of president. Mohammad served as the de facto leader of the UAE since Khalifa’s 2014 stroke, which limited his public appearances.

Khalifa led the UAE through a period of great technological and societal advancement. He strengthened the economy of the nation and secured its place among the other powerful nations of the world. Khalifa also leaned pro-West. He worked to strengthen the connection between the UAE and the U.S. and its allies, a bond that Biden promised to maintain following the leader’s death. The ensuing transition of leadership raises questions, most notably about future policy decisions and poverty in the UAE.

The Policy Impact of Khalifa’s Death

Sheikh Khalifa was a respected and well-liked leader, with many mourning his death in the UAE and around the world. Since the predecessor people expect spent the last eight years handling the majority of presidential matters, not much could change concerning foreign policy. However, the internal politics of the nation may look slightly different.

Being the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammad’s presidency could strengthen the already empowered emirate. Abu Dhabi grew in influence under Khalifa and may grow even more so now. It is likely that Mohammad will not need to consult with the other emirates before coming to any important decisions. This development, though expected, could prove to be divisive.

Poverty in the UAE

Many hope that the new leadership will address the underrecognized prevalence of poverty in the UAE. While the UAE is indeed a very wealthy nation, it is a common misconception that no poverty exists there at all. It is estimated that around 19.5% of Emiratis live below the poverty line. This is an estimation because the UAE does not formally update these statistics themselves. Despite the underreported number of impoverished people in the nation, the government provided support to only 27.1% of Emiratis in 2011.

The high poverty rate derives in part from the nation’s high cost of living, which results from the wealthy stature of the upper class. According to the Beit Al Khair Society, around 17,000 families living in the UAE need help from the government. It is a sad reality that many ordinary people have experienced neglect in the nation’s pursuit of becoming a global powerhouse. UAE invested unprecedented amounts of money into its large cities, particularly Dubai, along with notable developments such as the construction of the Burj Khalifa and The Jumeirah Golf Estates.

The Positives

Poverty in the UAE is far from a lost cause. The government does issue help for those families in need. The government has also formed specialized foundations and ministries to aid with the effects of the high cost of living. Of those families in need of help, few live in completely unbearable conditions. Most just need help to support their families, with the average size of an Emirati family being six people. It is also possible that the poverty rate is lower than estimated because of the underreported statistics. All in all, the UAE is quickly rising up the ranks of world powers. The nation’s economy continues to grow, but people should not ignore the individuals living in poverty in the UAE.

– Thomas Schneider
Photo: Pixabay

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Poverty Reduction in Indonesia

Poverty Reduction in Indonesia
Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populated country, with growth expected to peak in 2065. Therefore, there will soon be a need to provide more food and job and market opportunities for Indonesia’s coming generations. It is imperative that poverty greatly reduce in order to meet these ends for Indonesia’s future population growth. While poverty reduction in Indonesia faces a myriad of challenges, there is also a pantheon of solutions to meeting this goal.

Poverty in Indonesia

Though Indonesia has a large population and is considered a middle-income country, most of the populace does not have adequate wealth. The richest four men in the country have more wealth than the poorest 100 million combined. This inequality, which includes gender inequality, brings great obstacles to improved infrastructure and economic stability for Indonesia’s future.

Impact of COVID-19

Indonesia had the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia (5.91 million), with the impact of the pandemic pushing nearly 5 million more people into poverty throughout Southeast Asia. This has complicated Indonesia’s goal of getting more people out of poverty alongside neighboring countries. The pandemic caused increased unemployment and lowered tourism rates across the region. However, Indonesia is still pressing forward with policy and economic changes to combat the pandemic’s ill effects.

Economic Change

Indonesia’s Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati is pushing for the World Bank to make major reforms in order to provide more investment into helping nations like Indonesia combat the effects of COVID-19 and climate change well into the future. Most notably, the desired change is the expansion of the forms of responses to monetary crises. These crises are issues ministers like Indrawati claim the World Bank is not currently equipped to handle. Indrawati also said that using mixed leverage of funds from multilateral funds, private investment and government revenue will help Indonesia and its blended finance in order to adequately cover the costs of combating its current issues and cementing institutions to help in future economic and health-related issues.

Environmental Change

Indonesia is a nation consisting of chains of flush forest islands and environmental diversity. This biodiversity has experienced deforestation in the past. The biodiversity is vital to reinforcing Indonesia’s natural infrastructure to counteract the effects of climate change and natural disasters. Therefore, Indonesia has recently experienced decreased deforestation and the integration of local indigenous groups into the maintenance of its forests. These efforts are ensuring natural resources and environments can aid poverty reduction in Indonesia. Efforts like the Green Growth Plan and the BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes are allowing more of the small impoverished communities, such as the Jambi province, to engage in new job and conservation opportunities, fortifying poverty reduction in Indonesia.

Indonesia’s Future

With Indonesia being one of the largest lending partners of the World Bank, there are plenty of opportunities and avenues for the development of future programs to reduce inequality and poverty. The World Bank notes that areas of gender, digitalization, improved infrastructure, human capital, natural asset management and environmental challenges will all be important factors in poverty reduction in Indonesia. However, if the World Bank makes reforms, alongside internal development and recovery, then Indonesia can eliminate poverty.

– Albert Vargas
Photo: Pixabay

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How Epigenetics Predicts the Effects of Poverty

EpigeneticsEpigenetics is a recently developing branch of genetics that rose to prominence in the 21st century. Recent research has shown the biological effects of poverty through epigenetics. Epigenetics goes further than the genes a person inherits from their parents by showing how the individual’s genes react to their environment and other factors. One study that Molecular Psychiatry published concluded that children who grow up in families below the poverty line are “more prone to mental illness and alterations in DNA structure.” Since poverty brings numerous stressors such as poor nutrition and physical or psychological trauma, it can affect a child’s biological development, particularly in the brain. Epigenetics can help shape the future and bring to prominence that poverty can cause acute and chronic conditions.

What is Epigenetics?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defined epigenetics as “the study of how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work.” Epigenetics affects gene expression, specifically the process of protein creation. The environment and a person’s behaviors correlate with epigenetic changes; the connection becomes evident between a person’s genes, behaviors and environment.

There are three different mechanisms in epigenetics that can affect gene expressions, including DNA methylation, histone modification and non-coding RNA. DNA methylation turns the genes “off” and demethylation turns the genes “on.” More specifically, DNA methylation can directly inhibit the expression of genes. In this process, information from the gene becomes a functioning product such as proteins, which are essential molecules that help bodies function. Histone modification occurs with the adding or removal of chemical groups from histones. More specifically, it can also change if a gene is “on” or “off.” Finally, non-coding RNA is a biological function that helps control gene expression.

The Relationship Between Epigenetics and Poverty?

A 2019 article from Northwestern University explains that poverty can implement itself across genomes — “poverty leaves a mark on nearly 10% of the genes in the genome.” Previous research demonstrated that socioeconomic status is a significant determinant of human health and disease. For example, some factors such as lower educational attainment or lower-income increase the risk for heart disease, diabetes, different forms of cancers and other infectious diseases. Also, lower socioeconomic status is associated with other physiological processes that could “contribute to the development of diseases such as chronic inflammation, insulin resistance and cortisol dysregulation.”

In one recent study led by Dr. Adam R. Wende, researchers learned that end-stage heart failure patients had “cytosine-p-guanine, or CpG, methylation of the DNA in the heart.” This methylation was associated with race as the only variable between African Americans and Caucasians. In addition, researchers discovered through census tracking that African American patients lived in neighborhoods with higher racial diversity and poverty. This difference suggested to the researchers that “the underlying variable may be socioeconomic difference.”

Wende spoke about the impact of the study with UAB News. Wende stated that “we provide preliminary evidence that socioeconomic factors are likely associated with racial differences in cardiac DNA methylation among men with end-stage heart failure.”

Differences Between Children in Poverty and Higher Income Households

In another study published in 2016, scientists found that children who grew up in poverty had more DNA methylation than other children who came from higher household incomes. Researchers thought that this difference might have suppressed the impoverished children’s “production of serotonin transporter protein.” As a result, the kids in the impoverished households had less serotonin in the brain, which can lead to depression and other mental conditions.

Dan Notterman, a molecular biologist at Princeton University, found in his research that telomeres, the caps at the end of chromosomes, “[shorten] in children from impoverished families.” Research shows a link between telomere length, aging and poor general health, meaning that the shorter telomeres are, the worse a person’s health is and the faster the aging process is. In layman’s terms, poverty can cause children and adults alike to be more prone to mental and physical illnesses and hinder physiological processes at a genetic level.

Can Epigenetics Help Reverse Negative Health Outcomes?

Robert Philibert, a behavioral geneticist at the University of Iowa in Iowa City stated that “what this points out here is that if you really want to change neurodevelopment, alter the environment.” Epigenetics shows that the environment affects gene expression, and thus, the body’s biological functions.

Social determinants of health (SDH) are, as the World Health Organization (WHO) defines, “the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live and age and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life.” SDHs can influence health and gene expression through “income and social protection, education, food insecurity, social inclusion and nondiscrimination.” According to the WHO, SDH plays a significant role in 30-55% of health outcomes. Epigenetics shows people must address the systems that allow poverty to thrive in order to ensure people do not experience a disadvantage at the beginning of life.

– Gaby Mendoza
Photo: Flickr

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The Work of The One Ocean Summit


France hosted representatives from more than 100 countries at the One Ocean Summit in the French city of Brest from Feb. 9-11, 2022. The summit aimed to “raise the collective level of ambition of the international community on marine issues” and turn the global responsibility to “[safeguard] the ocean into tangible commitments” by addressing challenges such as pollution and overfishing. Ocean sustainability is key to the success of global economies. Marine conservation has an array of humanitarian benefits and can help alleviate poverty in developing nations.

One Ocean Summit

Water covers more than 70% of Earth’s surface, meaning that oceans are a critical part of everyday life for people across the globe. Prior to the One Ocean Summit, few international meetings focused directly and solely on ocean conservation. The One Ocean Summit aimed to highlight the vast importance of healthy oceans, with an emphasis on ocean resources, trade and the multitude of connections between marine and human life. The summit addressed threats to healthy oceans, including resource exploitation, pollution and extreme weather events.

In response to the issues brought to light by the One Ocean Summit, with the support of its Member States, the private sector and other U.N. bodies, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) made a commitment to map by 2030 80% of the global ocean seabed, 20% of which was mapped prior to the summit. Mapping the seabed will help countries better understand oceans and marine resources and learn how to conserve them. The One Ocean Summit also led to other initiatives that will help protect marine ecosystems, promote sustainable fishing and combat pollution, especially in relation to plastics.

Ocean Conservation and Poverty Reduction

Healthy oceans are essential to sustainable development. Oceans provide food, natural resources and employment to people around the world. Marine degradation often affects tropical, low-income areas the most. As sea levels/temperatures rise, fish migrate to other locations, which creates challenges for people who rely on fishing for their livelihoods. An unsustainable supply of fish can lead to food insecurity in places where the seafood is the main source of sustenance and protein. Multinational efforts are necessary to fund and promote effective ocean conservation. The seabed mapping project from the One Ocean Summit will help nations discover and execute best practices for ocean conservation.

Future Steps

The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified marine pollution, especially because of the “increased demand for single-use plastics.” According to the World Bank, ocean conservation relies on a combination of policies, monetary investments, technological innovations, a collaboration between public and private organizations and changes in consumer behavior. Governments can create and enforce laws in favor of ocean conservation while the private sector can help fund ocean conservation efforts and create new innovations to support the cause. Public and private collaborations that promote ocean sustainability may be particularly useful when it comes to reducing plastic pollution. International meetings like the One Ocean Summit can make large-scale steps in fighting threats to healthy oceans, including marine pollution and overfishing.

Ocean sustainability directly connects to poverty reduction and socio-economic development. Marine conservation is highly valuable in areas where fishing is essential to economic success. As a global resource, the ocean relies on international collaboration to stay healthy. The One Ocean Summit models a constructive international effort to conserve the world’s oceans.

– Cleo Hudson
Photo: Unsplash

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5 USAID-Sponsored Programs in Mexico

USAID Programs in Mexico
Despite Mexico’s social and economic developments over the past decades, the country still confronts serious issues of corruption, a high violent crime rate and unsteady public trust in its institutions. These issues impact those experiencing poverty the hardest because they are often targets of crime and frequently find public assistance to be unreliable. Addressing concerns relating to human rights, violence prevention and environmental sustainability will benefit the most vulnerable members of society. There are several USAID-sponsored programs in Mexico with these objectives in mind.

5 USAID-Sponsored Programs in Mexico

  1. Violence Prevention and Reduction Activity (USAID/PREVI). In recent years, Mexico experienced a significant increase in crime partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, USAID sponsored the PREVI activity. Its purpose is to increase the capacity of local Mexican governments to respond to and resolve crimes. USAID/PREVI partnered municipal authorities will intervene in low-level crime with a reduced focus on imprisonment and a greater focus on community policing and solutions that build public trust in institutions. The activity also calls for the establishment of public hearings, increased communication within the criminal justice system and solutions that address the imprisonment of at-risk youth. USAID provided $19.4 million to the program and will continue support until 2024.
  2. Mexico Border Investigative Reporting Hub (International Center for Journalists). This program, which the International Center for Journalists runs, seeks to reduce corruption in Mexico’s northern border states by improving journalists’ investigative skillset. The idea is that improved reporting on issues of corruption will increase civilian oversight and government accountability of public resources. USAID contributed $6 million to the program and expects to continue support until 2023.
  3. Human Rights Accountability Activity (Chemonics). This is another USAID-sponsored activity that addresses crime in Mexico, though with an increased focus on human rights abuses. Its goal is to support the Government of Mexico’s plans to combat torture and disappearance-related crimes, increase cooperation among agencies and help build the institutional capacity to address those human rights concerns. As part of this effort, the project also lends the Mexican government technical assistance in reducing backed-up forensic cases in five key states. USAID committed $24 million to the activity and will continue support until 2025.
  4. Alliances for Analysis and Communication (Mexico Evalua). This activity aims to increase the transparency of the judicial system in Mexico. Historically, institutions of Mexican justice have not been very open to people from outside of those bodies. To remedy this, Alliances for Analysis and Communication seeks to increase the accessibility of justice sector data among members of Mexican civil society. Members of the general public, the private sector and academia could then play a larger role in oversight. USAID contributed more than $2.3 million to this activity and plans to continue support until 2024.
  5. Sustainable Landscapes Ventures (Conservation International Foundation). There are a number of USAID programs in Mexico that focus on sustainable business, though this one works to make landscape practices more profitable for small farmers. The program will link small producers with buyers and investors to produce partnerships that generate profit through practices that fight deforestation and forest degradation. USAID contributed $10 million with continued support until 2025.

These USAID-sponsored programs in Mexico help build connections between influential state institutions and civil society. The expectation is that this will benefit all members of Mexican society, especially those living in poverty.

– Gonzalo Rodriguez
Photo: Flickr