Global Hunger
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Transcript of Global Hunger
•There are around one billion hungry people in the world (one in seven people in the world is hungry).
•The number has increased during the past decade.
•There is enough produced in the world so that, if they could get it, all ~7 billion people in the world could consume >3000 calories per day.
•Why and how does hunger occur?
•What can/should be done about it?
Global Hunger
•Defining hunger
--This is important b/c problems often get defined in terms of available and/or economically/politically/socially convenient solutions
“When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.”
(Brazilian archbishop Dom Helder Camara)
--Hunger can be defined as inadequate or insufficient :
oConsumption of calories (undernutrition)
oConsumption of nutrients/minerals (malnutrition)
oAbility to reliably enough food to live a healthy, active life (food insecurity)
oCapability to reliably access socially/culturally acceptable food in socially acceptable ways (food insecurity)
Global Hunger
Patterns and trends in global hunger
Patterns and trends in global hunger
Patterns and trends in Global hunger
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
LOW
HIGH
Rate of Undernourishment (2000-02)
The Human Cost of Undernourishment
DALY = Aggregate years lost as a result of premature death
The Food Security Scale
Households that are “food insecure” are those members, due to a lack of financial resources:
•Experience anxiety and worry that food will run out before they can get more
•Cannot eat a balanced meal
•Buy cheaper (and often less healthy) food
•Reduce meal sizes
•Skip meals
The Food Security Scale
Households that are “food insecure with hunger” are those whose members, due to a lack of financial resources:
•Reduce meal sizes
•Skip meals
•Do not eat for an entire day
--Especially children--
Hunger in the United States
88% (250.5 million) 12% (38 million)
8% (27.5 million)
4% (10.5
million)
Source: Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
2004
Rate of Hunger (2002-04)(percent of households)
World Food Program
• United Nations organization directed to
combat global hunger
• Est. 1961
• Provides emergency and development food and aid
• In 2001, provided food to 77 mil people in 82 countries
• Most of food is distributed to displaced people and refugees
• Relies entirely on voluntary contributions from countries, businesses and organizations, and indivdiuals
Didn’t cover this, won’t be on the exam.
Global trends in food aid• Food aid has declined as a form of aid
1960s/70s 1990s
30% 7%
• Overall the value and volume of food aid have declined
--In late 1990s, total value of aid was only 20% value of 1980s
--In late 1990s, total volume of aid was only 40% volume of 1980s
Value of food aid as share of all aid from countries
Didn’t cover this, won’t be on the exam.
Distribution of food aid, by world region
Food aid received (% total) 1998
37
4 1211
36
Sub-Saharan Africa
N. Africa/Middle East
Latin Am./Carib.
Europe/CIS
Asia
Didn’t cover this, won’t be on the exam.
Largest recipients of food aid, 1998
1. Bangladesh
2. N. Korea
3. Ethiopia
4. Indonesia
5. India
6. Peru
7. Rwanda
8. Mozambique
9. Angola
10. Bolivia
Didn’t cover this, won’t be on the exam.
Largest donors of food aid, 1998
Country % total food aid provided
Australia 4
Canada 5
China 1
EU 27
Japan 9
Korea 1
Norway 1
USA 53
Didn’t cover this, won’t be on the exam.
Why does hunger occur?•Sen’s entitlement thesis
Hunger often occurs where food is available. . .
“. . . because people are not able to acquire enough of it.”
Will producing more food solve this problem?
“Food does not automatically trickle
down to those who need it.”
Why does hunger occur?•Sen’s entitlement thesis
Hunger occurs when/where people are not able to legitimately acquire enough food.
In other words, hunger occurs when legitimate modes of acquiring food are disrupted.
How do people acquire food?
Grow it Buy it Receive it
Hunger occurs when these modes of acquiring food are disrupted or not
available.
Complex process of social breakdown, involving:
Famine
Didn’t cover this, won’t be on the exam.
Beyond these elements, “insiders” and “outsiders” typically have differing concepts of famine.
Exhaustion of coping strategies
Famine
Outsiders Insiders
Mass starvation
Didn’t cover this, won’t be on the exam.
Major famines
Didn’t cover this, won’t be on the exam.
Didn’t cover this, won’t be on the exam.
Why do famines occur?Interactions between:
•War and civil conflict
•Natural events (drought, flooding)
•Economic imperialism (exploitation, dominance)
•Political oppression
•Government corruption
•Others?
Didn’t cover this, won’t be on the exam.
Preventing Famines•Sen’s democracy thesis
Amartya Sen (Economist)
I know how to prevent famines and address
hunger!Democracy!
•Sen’s democracy thesis
Effective political rights and oppositional politics can and do enhance food entitlements
Preventing Famines
Amartya SenReceiving 1998 Nobel Prize in Economics
If there are no elections, no opposition parties, no scope for uncensored public criticism, then those in authority don’t have to suffer the political consequences of their failure to prevent famines. Democracy, on the other hand, would spread the penalty of famines to the ruling groups and political leaders as well. This gives them the political incentive to try to prevent any threatening famine . . . [Moreover, a] free press and the practice of democracy contribute greatly to bringing out information than can have an enormous impact on policies for famine prevention . . . Indeed, I would argue that a free press and an active political opposition constitute the best early-warning system a country threatened by famines can have.
Amartya Sen Development as Freedom (1999)pp. 180-1