Addressing Extreme Hunger
Hunger is when populations are experiencing severe food insecurity—meaning that they go for entire days without eating due to lack of money, lack of access to food, or other resources.
By Maclean S. and Pierce C.
There are 700 million people or 10% of the world living in extreme poverty, according to the United Nations. People living in poverty might not have enough money for basic needs like education, clean water, food, and shelter. The United Nations has found that more than half of the people in Africa live on $1.90 per day. Some of the reasons why more people are poor in Africa is because of wars, illnesses, and famines. For example in sub-Saharan Africa, 1 out of 11 kids dies in his first five years of age because of malnutrition, according to the World Health Organization. Hunger and poverty are often connected.
Globally, around 50 million people from only 45 countries are at extreme levels of hunger. Over the past three years world hunger has risen by around 150 million people. This issue is bad but there are ways we can make it better.
The USDA's Feed the Future program is trying to combat global hunger. The idea is to boost agriculture growth and nutrition in countries with great need such as African nations. The program helps countries plant sustainable crops such as millet that thrives in poor soil but is rich in amino acid nutrients. This program promotes an exchange of ideas between countries with the goal of reducing hunger and promoting nutrition.
Closer to home, we can also address world hunger too. One solution you could do is donating food, money or work at the Central Texas Food Bank. Another solution that could work really well is urban farming. A lot of people who are suffering from world hunger live in an urban environment. If we have people farming there and growing crops in cities, it could provide food that's nutritious, affordable and easy to get. Another thing that makes urban farming good is that it can spread through a community and bring economic growth to the area.
In conclusion, world hunger is a problem that we can fix. According to a 2022 UNICEF report, poor nutrition causes 45% of deaths in children under five around the world. We can change statistics like this with innovative thinking and more people paying attention to this important topic.
"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one."
—Mother Teresa
By Devon P.
The Central Texas Food Bank is the largest hunger-relief food bank in Central Texas. If you don't know what a food bank is, it's a place where you can get food for free. They have food donors that bring food in from all over the country. Last year they gave away close to 54 million meals.
They have been open for about 40 years. They don't just feed people; they educate them too. They teach people about nutrition and healthy foods.
Nearly 46,000 Central Texans, one-third of them children, are counting on the Food Bank each week to get nutritious food they need and otherwise wouldn't be able to afford. You can volunteer or donate to the food bank by clicking on the icon above to go to their website.
