Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Period 3
Mr. Rivas
28 March 2017
We have a population of over 7 billion people that inhabit this planet. Approximately 795
million people are not able to live a healthy and active life, which is about one in every nine
people. Most of these individuals are found in developing countries, where about 13% of the
population are extremely undernourished. The total number of people that die each year from
hunger is approximately 7,665,000 and the average deaths per day caused solely by hunger is
approximately 21,000. All people should have equal access to some form of nourishment,
whether it be a small grain of rice or a buffet fit for a king, and everyone should be given an
opportunity to thrive in this world. Some may say it's impossible, however, it is quite the
contrary, because of a famous saying that states “If we can conquer space, we can conquer
hunger.”
There are many factors that negatively contribute to the decrease of food production. One
of which are catastrophic events such as earthquakes and floods. Earthquakes, for instance, can
leave countries in arguably their worst state. Haiti, for example, “Suffered from a major
earthquake in 2010, leaving them today with two and a half million people in their country
starving and in poverty”. They are considered the poorest country in the northern hemisphere.
“Two out of three Haitians live on less than $2 per day, 50% are unemployed and less than 50%
of households have access to safe water, and only 25% benefit from adequate sanitation.” Also,
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in Haiti “Only 50 percent of the people have access to an improved water source, such as a hand
pump or a well this means that most of the population depends on lakes, streams and rivers for
their water, regardless of the cleanliness. Even if some people can get to better water than others,
a total of 80 percent do not have adequate sanitation available. So even if they run less risk of
becoming ill from bad water, they are unable to clean themselves and are susceptible to disease
and infection”. And “Only fifty percent of children living in Haiti are able to go to school, while
30 percent of those only progress to the fifth grade. As a result, half of Haitians are illiterate.
Without a proper education, the people are unable to break free of the cycle of poverty.” This
limits the opportunities of individuals that live in the country, especially children who have
happened. Burundi, for instance, a country in the African Great Lakes region of Africa and also
voted the number one country that suffers from hunger and poverty has, in fact, shown
improvement over several years. “In burundi 73.4% of the population is believed to be
undernourished. Over half of Burundi's population of 9.85 million citizens live below the poverty
line, with an estimated 35% of the population being out of work.” Despite the condition this
country was in they were able to improve their low unemployment rate and their economy over
the years, which shows that every country in the world has a potential to improve.
Burundi is still continuously improving today, relying on their coffee industry. Although
years of civil war and state control created an obstacles for them, they still manage to persevere
and develop little by little. “For us, the farmers of Kazoza N'Ikawa have reinforced something
we already knew - that certified organic farms are not the only sustainable coffee farms. We
hope that someday the Kazoza co-op will pursue organic certification, but their demonstration of
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circumstances.” This shows every developing country that there is always a way to get out of the
state of poverty that they are in, and that it only takes a effort to do so.
Hunger is not just a problem that will last a couple of years, it has a potential to span a
course of hundreds of years, generation after generation if not dealt with. This means countless
deaths of men, women and children, who never got to live there life, because of the simple fact
that they were unlucky and were born in a family that lived in a developing country. This
deprives us of the potential of the next generation and after. “The countries with extreme poverty
have a lack of access to not only the proper foods, but health services and education as well.
These countries also show a lack of inclusion, as many of the world’s poorest people do not
receive any representation in the economy or in politics. The lack of education and
representation creates an issue of mobility. People in developing countries do not possess the
necessary means for maintaining life.” “Poor nutrition causes nearly half(45%) of deaths in
children under the age of five, which roughly translates to 3.1 million children each year dying
from poor nutrition alone.” This problem will just become larger and larger as time passes by,
due to the fact that, the world's population is growing in an exponential rate, which means that in
a couple of years we are going to have much more mouths to feed. Furthermore, overpopulation
also means that less people are going to have jobs, because the rate that new jobs are being
created isn't as fast as rate of the growth of our population. Also, the more people without jobs
means there are going to be more people in poverty, unable to afford food or water. This problem
with carry on into the future, engendering new problems the future generation has to face.“While
on the surface poverty is often defined as a lack of income or assets, in the day-to-day lives of
the very poor, poverty becomes a network of disadvantages, each one exacerbating the others.
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The result is generation after generation of people who lack access to education, health care,
adequate housing, proper sanitation and good nutrition. They are the most vulnerable to disasters,
armed conflict and systems of political and economic oppression and they are powerless to
As I have mentioned, one of the main causes of hunger and poverty around the world are
natural disasters. However, there are many other factors that impact it, such as wars, climate
change, and droughts. Climate change is one of the main causes of world hunger, because
production may be less predictable. Most farmers in developing countries depend highly on
rainfall to water their crops and due to unpredictable weather most of crops that are planted fail
to grow. In addition, droughts happen to be one of the many causes of hunger. According to an
article titled 11 Facts About Global Poverty, “As of 2013, 21.8 million children under 1 year of
age worldwide had not received the three recommended doses of vaccine against diphtheria,
tetanus and pertussis.” The author also stated that “In 2011, 165 million children under the age 5
were stunted (reduced rate of growth and development) due to chronic malnutrition.” Droughts
are a big cause of poverty simply because it's a natural occurrence, meaning it can't be stopped.
“There are also causes of poverty that cannot be prevented, such as drought and warfare. When
drought occurs, families that rely on fruits and vegetables for harvest and income face poverty
from this situation. These families can no longer provide for their families. At times, the crops
can never be recovered due to lack of funds.” Wars can leave whole countries in poverty, as well
as “strain the economy, create safety issues and also require families to face food rations in some
countries. These issues are more difficult to overcome because they can occur suddenly and can
Hunger and poverty can also be caused by epidemics and disease. Epidemics are easily
one of the more notable causes of hunger and poverty. Epidemics, in some instances lead to the
contamination of water supplies in farms and even contamination of larger bodies of water such
as lakes and rivers. This not only leads to a lack of drinkable water, but as mentioned before,
farmers need clean water to be able to grow crops. Epidemics can also affect animals, infecting
them, making then inedible. According to John Avery, “In 2006, 1.1 billion people lacked safe
drinking water, and waterborne diseases killed an estimated 1.8 million people. The developing
countries are also the scene of a resurgence of other infectious diseases, such as malaria, drug-
resistant tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.” Lastly, epidemics can affect the human body, and if
infected, an individual won’t be able to work for money, potentially leaving them in poverty, and
unable to pay for themselves and provide for their families and due to the lack of money they
have, they become unable to buy food with the proper nutrients the human body needs to
function properly, causing even more diseases for the family, creating a never ending loop for
these poor individuals. “People start reducing the quality of the food they eat. That means less
fresh fruit and vegetables, less meat. They will concentrate on staples, usually grain such as
wheat, maize or rice. This impacts their intake of vitamins and protein, which can be harmful,
especially when children are under two.” contributing to the never-ending cycle of poverty
The cost of food is one of the bigger problems that causes hunger, since not everyone is
able to afford food due to their social class. One of the main reasons these individuals do not get
the proper nutrition needed is because of the fact that “The poorest households in the developing
world may spend as much as 60-80 percent of their incomes on food. When prices go up, they
must spend even more of their meager resources on food. That means they have less for their
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other needs, such as clothes, shelter, medicines, school books for the children. And little by little,
non-essentials get cut.” According to World Hunger News, the main problem people are faced
with is that they don't make sufficient income to be able to purchase nutritious food. Making
food more affordable would ultimately reduce the number of hungry individuals. Also, reducing
the cost of food would help people in poverty afford the basic necessities such as food and water.
Lastly, reducing the cost of food would not only help the individuals that need it, but it may also
Another problem this world is faced with is the fact that most people who are able to
afford food, waste it by throwing it away, because it's either expired or they simply didn't like it.
“Approximately ⅓ of the food produced in the world each year is for human consumption. And
1.3 billion tonnes - gets lost or wasted. Food waste amounts to roughly $680 billion in
industrialized countries and $30 billion in developing countries.” Food loss and waste in the
United States accounts for approximately 31% or 133 billion pounds of the overall food supply
available to retailers and consumers, and has far-reaching impacts on food security, resource
conservation and climate change. “In the United States, 31 percent—or 133 billion pounds—of
the 430 billion pounds of the available food supply at the retail and consumer levels in 2010
went uneaten. The estimated value of this food loss was $161.6 billion using retail prices. For the
first time, ERS estimated the calories associated with food loss: 141 trillion in 2010, or 1,249
National debt is also one of the many causes of poverty, because a nation that's in debt
means that its citizens are, more likely than not, going to end up in debt as well. “The countries
with extreme poverty have a lack of access to not only the proper foods, but health services and
education as well. These countries also show a lack of inclusion, as many of the world’s poorest
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people do not receive any representation in the economy or in politics. The lack of education and
representation creates an issue of mobility. People in developing countries do not possess the
Another factor that largely impact the number of people in poverty are jobs. Not
everyone has jobs, and many of the people that do have jobs still don't make enough money to
provide for themselves and for the people in their household. According to the Bread of the
World organization, “hunger rates rise, when the national or local economy is in a slump.”
“Many people in developing countries are willing to work, but are not given the chance to do so
and therefore remain in poverty. The lack of access to education and the jobs that supply little or
no wages continue to make rising from poverty very difficult to achieve. This restricts access to
an income to support families and creates a barrier from the economy and other typical daily
activities.”
Inequality between sexes is also considered one of the causes of poverty. “Women are
often at higher risk than men to suffer from poverty. Inequality is another cause of poverty as
women are more likely to be paid lower wages than men performing the same line of work.
Women are also expected to take on child raising and are restricted from seeking employment in
these developing countries. This inequality creates a disadvantage for women and also prevents
opportunity for more income for the household. Families with only one parent working are more
likely to face poverty and they lack the opportunity to provide the proper education to their
children.”
Many people argue that the main cause of hunger is poverty and the main cause of
poverty is hunger, due to the fact that when people are hungry and don't get the proper nutrition
they need in order to be healthy, they are less likely to perform at their jobs or school well. When
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an individual is in poverty, they won't be able to afford basic necessities. Creating a cycle that is
nearly impossible to stop, because there are hundreds of other factors that affect this.
There are hundreds of organizations that aid developing countries, such as Africa and
India. The most common attempt being an organization helping transform a country's
agriculture, and teach the citizens how they can provide for themselves. For instance, Heifer
international, which is an organization that transforms agriculture. “They fund projects so people
can provide food for themselves in a sustainable way. This is very powerful, because ultimately
we would like to see many impoverished areas not reliant on aid from foreign countries (which
often causes debt) and able to create their own, steady, supply of food.”
Although many countries have shown the potential to end world hunger through
improvement, the idea of a world without poverty and hunger is almost impossible. Studies show
that it would take $60 billion dollars annually to extreme global poverty. Millions of people still
work at jobs where they are given a low wage. Also the fact that many households are only
supported by a single mother or father. Making it extremely hard for these single parents to
provide for their children. And if there is a solution to this problem, it would depend on the
people living in this planet, whether they want to make a change or not, the end to world hunger
rests in our hands. Another way organizations aid developing countries are food donations.
“Although ideally it would be better to get the entire world to a place of self-sustainability, it is
not something that will happen overnight. In the meantime it is important to lend a helping hand.
The impact of donations, both cash and food, have had an immense impact on world hunger.
Organizations such as Food for All have customers donate $1-5 when checking out. Last year
they raised a whopping $60 million to fight world hunger.” The most effective way to support is
when these organizations give men, women and children access to education. According to an
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article called 10 Ways to Stop World Hunger, “Education is the best weapon to use against
better opportunity and more access to income and food. Additionally, some countries have food-
for-education programs where students are given free food for coming to school. This may seem
like a basic idea in the United States, but it is lifesaving in many underdeveloped nations.”
We have seen big organizations attempt and succeed in aiding small countries that are
hungry and in poverty. However, to get closer to the ultimate goal, ending world hunger, would
take much more time and money to do. “Alleviating the causes of poverty requires aid from
developed nations, not only in the form of money, but also in the form of helping to mobilize
access in these areas. Helping the education system in each developing nation can provide a
better understanding of health and pregnancy. The proper training can introduce farmers to a
better farming technique to survive a weather disaster. Also, a more inclusive economy and
government system can bring more opportunity to the people in more rural developing areas.
These developing nations can grow from poverty if given the right tools, such as access to
education and the ability to participate in an economy to continue to develop and grow in the
right directions.” Education is a big factor in aiding developing countries, because is creates a
better path for these families, potentially getting a better job. This also means that they're going
to slowly become much healthier due to the fact that they would have better sanitation and make
better food choices. “The lack of education and training for employment inhibits people living in
developing nations from obtaining higher paying occupations. The problem is even greater when
health education services are not obtainable. This causes high rates of teenage pregnancy and
larger families. The larger the families become, the greater the risk of poverty because of the
the hundreds of factors that affect it. From climate change and natural disasters to population
growth and lack of jobs provided. However, with the improvements shown by countries in
poverty, there is still hope that one day, we can put an end to world hunger.
Work Cited
"The World's 10 Hungriest Countries." Global Citizen. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2017.
"You Won't Believe How Much Food Is Wasted in America." Mercola.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28
Mar. 2017.
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U.S. Geological Survey California Water Science Center. "California Drought." California
Drought Information | USGS California Water Science Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2017.
"11 Facts About Global Poverty." DoSomething.org | Volunteer for Social Change. N.p., n.d.
"11 Facts About World Hunger." DoSomething.org | Volunteer for Social Change. N.p., n.d.
"World Hunger, Poverty Facts, Statistics 2016." World Hunger News. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar.
2017.
Dr. Gerd Propach, Wettenberg, Helmut Pfindel. "Diseases Caused by Hunger." Diseases Caused
"How Empowering Women Could End World Hunger." Global Citizen. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar.
2017.
M, Snyder. "Women: The Key to Ending Hunger." Popline. New York New York The Global
"The Economics of Violence." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 16 Apr. 2011. Web.
28 Mar. 2017.
"Know Your World: Facts About World Hunger & Poverty." The Hunger Project. N.p., n.d.