The Hungry World

The world produces enough to feed its entire global population of around seven billion people.

- Anustup Roy Barman

And yet, one person in eight goes to bed hungry each night. Worldwide, the number of hungry people has dropped significantly over the past two decades but still around 795 million people continue to struggle with hunger every day. The reasons behind this are complex and varied and often interconnected.

Poverty

Poverty is the main cause of hunger. This is true for both rich and poor countries. It is also true for people living in urban and rural areas. Most people who are hungry live in extreme poverty. Extreme poverty has been defined as a condition where a person earns $1.25 per day or less. The largest groups of people in the world in extreme poverty are smallholding farmers and agriculturists in developing countries. People living in poverty can’t afford nutritious food for themselves and their families. This makes them weaker, physically and mentally and less productive.

Job instability

In high-income countries, hunger is mainly caused by poverty that results from the lack of employment or due to low paying jobs. Hunger rates rise when the national or local economy declines. Once the economy improves, some people still continue to struggle to find work. For example, people who have been in prison face wide-scale discrimination that makes it difficult for them to find jobs once they are released.

Food shortages and waste

One third of all food produced (1.3 billion tonnes) is never consumed. This food wastage represents a missed opportunity in a world where one in eight remains hungry. The people most affected are smallholder farmers and their families who depend on their own surplus to survive between harvests. The period leading up to a harvest is known as the “hungry season.” Food from the previous harvest runs out and families cut back on meals. This period may last for months, depending on the size of the previous harvest.