The Hunger Problem in the Modern World

Analysis of Hunger Hunger is one issue that falls under food insecurity. In fact, it is the biggest problem facing any people in modern society. Failure to get enough amount of energy in a day as recommended by world organizations such as Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) is defined as hunger. An individual could be hungry for a day, a whole year, or several years. The persistent growth of hunger results to a state where there is no surety of accessing adequate amount of food.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Hunger Problem in the Modern World specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This impairs the normal health and development of people. Hunger makes a nation weak because people become tired, weak, malnourished, and in most cases, they lose concentration. The continued lack of food is dangerous, as the health specialists hold that under such circumstances, the body feeds on itself. This means that food store d in the body is converted to nutrients for use. This is where fats are converted metabolically to give energy. These conditions lead to death in extreme circumstances. Statistics from FAO show that in 2010, nineteen million people from developed countries were hungry. Latin America and the Caribbean had fifty three million people without food, and East Africa and North Africa accounted for thirty seven million people (Dole 17). Sub-Saharan Africa had the largest share of two hundred and thirty nine million out of the nine hundred million people who went without food in the world. Children are the most affected group. They are malnourished, which affects their health as UNICEF estimates that children in such conditions spent almost half of the year being sick. Deaths in children associated with malnutrition account for almost five million of the eleven million child deaths yearly. The impact of this is immense in Asia and Africa. Causes of hunger The causes of hunger are many and ar e common in all areas that are affected. Poverty is one of the leading causes of hunger in the world. The resources all over the world are inadequate while those that are available are poorly distributed. The UN report indicates that more than two million people in the world lived below one dollar a day in the year 2005. The same report highlighted that slightly more than a billion people were undernourished. Poverty remains the main cause of hunger despite the efforts made to alleviate the condition. The reasons for persistent hunger in the world are the harmful economic systems. The current political and economic systems control all the resources yet the principal foundations of those systems are based on power, military, and economic supremacy (Diamond 23). These systems ensure that the resources are controlled by few and as such, the majority is left to suffer. In other parts of the world such as Asia and Africa, hunger is caused by armed conflicts. Civil strives are frequent, w hich mainly arise from competing interests in political power circles and persistent military coups. The number of refugees is beyond manageable levels. This situation calls for countries to divert the resources that would be helpful in other sectors to taking care of the refugees.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conflicts result to poverty since people do not get time to settle and engage in food production activities. Climate change stands out as both a natural and manmade cause of hunger. Disasters that include floods, drought, and changing weather conditions have been mentioned as the factors behind the ever-changing patterns of climate and therefore farmers in the world are not able to make the right farming decisions. Works Cited Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs Steel: the fate of human societies. New York: Norton publishers, 1999. Print. Dole, Bob. Ending hunger: A challenge t o persons of faith. New York: Augsburg Fortress, 2010. Print. This essay on The Hunger Problem in the Modern World was written and submitted by user Carlie Reilly to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.