World Hunger

1. World Hunger Zach Boggs, Eastan Bunch, Joshua Sidell, Justin Wise Period 5 IR

2. World Hunger Overview • 2 billion people live without stable food supply • Over 800 million people continually struggle with hunger everyday in the world • Around 35,000 children die everyday directly or indirectly from hunger

3. Overview (continued) • 29% of children in the United States are plagued with hunger issues • Most food-poor countries are south of the Sahara in Africa • Accounts for over 215 million struggling with hunger

4. Examples of World Hunger • In the US, 40-50% of all food ready for harvest never is eaten • In the UK, 30-40% of all food never is eaten with 38 billion dollars worth of food thrown away in the UK alone • Rising prices with fuel, taxes etc. leave less of a budget for food • Irresponsible use of chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides may lead to contamination of food, gardens or farms

5. Causes of Hunger • Military: Juan lives with his family who are supported by his older brother, Felipe. They live in Nicaragua, but when Felipe turns 18 he is drafted into the military. Therefore, Juan and the rest of his family don’t have a source of income to get food. The family goes hungry thanks to the military. • Poverty: Frank is a bus driver in the US, has three kids and a wife. His union decided to go on strike and since gas prices are up, his wage is decreasing. Frank can no longer afford to pay for all of the food his family eats. They have to cut down on expenses, so he cuts some of the food intake. His family is now hungry.

6. Causes of Hunger (continued) • Global Warming: Idriss is a nomad in the extremely poor landlocked country of Chad. He has a family that travels around with sheep that graze on fields. They travel in the only fertile region of the country which is by Lake Chad. Unfortunately because of global warming, Lake Chad is drying up and the amount of fertile land is shrinking. Now Idriss’s family cannot have a large stock of sheep. Therefore, their amount of food decreases and they are now a hungry family. • Population: In India, there is a huge growth in the Middle East and still a lot of poor people. Tamir and his family live in a crowded shanty in a city where if they want food they have to travel to the market. Sometimes the crowd is so large Tamir and his family can’t get food because it is all sold out. There are so many people who want food and Tamir has little chance of getting to it.

7. Solutions to World Hunger • Monitor how much food is over-harvested to potentially donate in poor countries and regions • Provide additional subsidies for farmers who are able to grow food specifically to eliminate world hunger • Set up food distribution and outreach centers accessible to (or within) rural villages • Collaborate with local countries to donate food on a weekly or monthly basis (based on proximity to those in need)

8. UNWFP (United Nations World Food Program) Goal: Freeing the World of Hunger • The UNWFP fights hunger through a frontline agency in the combat against global hunger. Operations aim to: • Save lives and refugee crises and other emergencies • Improve nutrition and quality of life for the world’s most vulnerable people at these critical times in their lives • Enable development by: a. helping people build assets that benefit them directly and b. promoting the self reliance of poor people and communities • The UNWFP has already helped (and continues helping) over 77 countries with hunger issues

9. Personal Solutions to World Hunger • Donate money, food and medical support to those facing hunger in impoverished countries • Establish a campaign for food drives in the community • Educate the public on world hunger and how they can help • Utilize technology to devise farming alternatives for poor countries to grow crops within their region • Contact government authorities to increase their awareness of world hunger so they can provide immediate assistance to affected citizens in their country