Because of the increasing human population in the world today, the human race has to develop new methods to sustain the food production, and not only sustain it but increase it by 50% by the year 2050. The land, biodiversity, oceans, forests and other forms of natural capital are being depleted at unprecedented rates. Unless we change the way we grow our food and manage our natural capital, food security, especially for the worlds poorest, will be at risk.
High-level task force on global food and nutrition security
The dramatic rise in global food prices and the crisis led the UN Chief Executive Board in April 2008 to establish a High-level task force on global food and nutrition security. This task force was composed of 23 key members of the UN system, it is chaired by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The primary aim of the task force is to promote a response from the international community to the challenge of achieving global food and nutrition security.
Hunger in numbers
The latest available estimates indicate that about 795 million people in the world, ( 1 in 9) were undernourished in 2014-2016. That means that these people were not able to live healthy and active lives. The hunger and malnutrition are in fact the number one risk to health worldwide. Even greater than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.
“The world is facing its greatest humanitarian crisis since 1945, says the United Nations humanitarian coordinator, Stephen O’Brien.
All tough the world’s population is a key factor in the food crisis in the world, there are other factors involved. Poverty is an enormous reason behind this hunger issue. People who live in poverty do not have sufficient income to purchase enough food. High rates of poverty are correlated with high rates of hunger because acquiring adequate food provisions requires ample resources, not only financial but social as practical as well.
Environmental and climate changes, such as, desertification, deforestation, and most importantly drought and water shortages, which have increased poverty and hunger by reducing agricultural production and people’s incomes.
To help prevent this crisis, we can donate money to charity organizations who focus on the hunger crisis. Then we can donate food through the aid. We can at least spread awareness, the more who know about this issue, the more who help.
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