Food Insecurity
Our world is hungry. 805 million people—11.3% of the Earth’s population—does not get enough to eat. In 2010, over 10,000 children died every day as a result of poor nutrition. In developing countries in particular (not surprisingly, the areas the problem is most concentrated in), 1 in 15 children will die before their 5th birthday as a result of not getting enough to eat. Over 20% of people in Sub-Saharan Africa are chronically hungry. But the issue is a local one, too. In the US, 1 in 6 people are hungry. Every single county has citizens that are what the government calls “food insecure,” meaning they do not have access to (which could include not having the money to buy) food all the time. 17.5 million American households fall into this category. At least 1 in 7 people are enrolled in the USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) with almost 50% being minors. |
Photo from www.fastweb.com/student-life/articles/food-insecurity-prevalent-on-college-campuses
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In Canada, 12.5% of people struggle to put food on their tables, and over 850,000 show up to food banks on a regular occasion. Europe is doing considerably better with less than 5% of people in the undernourished category, and they are the world leader in reducing the numbers of the hungry.
As I’m sure you can imagine, the people who devote their lives to producing food take this as a slap in the face. Farmers get blamed, even by their selves, for the massive numbers of people that so frequently go without, and rising to the challenge of feeding an estimated 9.5 billion people by 2050 is discussed more and more frequently throughout all facets of the agricultural industry. Farmers should not be putting in un-Godly hours, doing back-breaking work for their entire lives, giving up the comforts of urban living… just to see people starve.
As I’m sure you can imagine, the people who devote their lives to producing food take this as a slap in the face. Farmers get blamed, even by their selves, for the massive numbers of people that so frequently go without, and rising to the challenge of feeding an estimated 9.5 billion people by 2050 is discussed more and more frequently throughout all facets of the agricultural industry. Farmers should not be putting in un-Godly hours, doing back-breaking work for their entire lives, giving up the comforts of urban living… just to see people starve.
However, here’s the truth: It’s not the farmer’s fault. The farmer does produce enough food. The farmer has already risen to the occasion. The agricultural industry is not failing!
The problem of hunger is a problem of distribution. It’s a problem of food waste (to be discussed in a separate blog post), a problem of poverty, and a problem of people with food all around them but not enough money to take that food home to their families. The truth is that there is enough food to adequately feed every person on this Earth. |
Photo from www.q-files.com/geography/farming/
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In 2008, enough food was produced for every person to consume 2,790 kcal every day. Many argue that countries with an arid climate (those usually classified as developing, or third-world nations) are at a disadvantage because their land isn’t suitable for farming or they do not get enough precipitation to grow food, but the culmination of those counties produced enough for each person in them to consume 2,640 kcal each day—only slightly lower than the world total. Check out this chart that identifies the four largest food producing nations:
So what does this mean for the documentary Cowspiracy, who blames the problem of world hunger on livestock production? They claim that the grain that feeds farm animals would be put to better use feeding the hungry, a claim not true in and of itself, as I pointed out in my Complete Debunk of Every Cowspiracy Statistic. The reality is that the feed livestock consumes is mostly comprised of seeds and oils or crops that are not fit for human consumption. Additionally, as you can see by the chart, the countries who are the leading producers of animal products are actually the ones who are producing the most food all around. Unfortunately, these regions are prime examples of fiscal inequality that is the real driver of food insecurity. The makers of Cowspiracy blatantly misdiagnosed the problem in an attempt to push their agenda. Using a problem as serious as one that kills 21,000 people daily to push a political scheme (especially without any evidence!) just shows how low vegan proponents are willing to stoop.
With all that said, this is not to say that farmers are not trying to step up their game. The world population is still growing, and it’s an unfortunate fact that, in the future, the problem might turn into a situation where there isn’t enough food to go around. Some strategies that agriculturalists are enacting include genetic modification (GMO’s), faster and more powerful equipment, self-reliant urban systems (like home gardens), food waste prevention, nutritional awareness, and making methods more sustainable so that more food can be produced with less resources.
The leading weapon against hunger is awareness. People will never change their habits if they aren’t informed about the truthful cause of the problem and its very deadly effects. No matter who you are, what label you put on your diet, or what your economic situation is, the choices you make directly impact food insecurity levels. A few tiny lifestyle changes pursued by many people would have the ability to make our world much less hungry. |
Photo from thehungergap.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/foodinsecurity.jpg
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Sources:
"About Hunger in Canada." FOODBANKS. Food Banks Canada, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
"FAO.org." FAO Hunger Report Shows Changing Face of Food Insecurity in Europe, Central Asia. Food and Agriculture
Organization, 18 June 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
"Hunger in India." Hunger in India | India FoodBanking Network. Food Security Foundation India, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
Merckel, Kathryn. "Asia Hunger Facts, Facts About Hunger in Asia." World Hunger News. World Hunger Education, 2 Nov. 2015.
Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
Ross, Sean. "The 4 Countries That Produce the Most Food." Investopedia. Investopedia, 06 Oct. 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
Valdes, Constanza. "Overview." USDA ERS - Brazil. USDA ERS, 6 Sept. 2017. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
"World Hunger, Poverty Facts, Statistics 2016." World Hunger News. World Hunger Education Service, 28 Dec. 2016. Web. 30
Apr. 2017.
"11 Facts About Hunger in the US." DoSomething.org | Volunteer for Social Change. Do Something, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
"11 Facts About World Hunger." DoSomething.org. Do Something, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
"About Hunger in Canada." FOODBANKS. Food Banks Canada, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
"FAO.org." FAO Hunger Report Shows Changing Face of Food Insecurity in Europe, Central Asia. Food and Agriculture
Organization, 18 June 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
"Hunger in India." Hunger in India | India FoodBanking Network. Food Security Foundation India, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
Merckel, Kathryn. "Asia Hunger Facts, Facts About Hunger in Asia." World Hunger News. World Hunger Education, 2 Nov. 2015.
Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
Ross, Sean. "The 4 Countries That Produce the Most Food." Investopedia. Investopedia, 06 Oct. 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
Valdes, Constanza. "Overview." USDA ERS - Brazil. USDA ERS, 6 Sept. 2017. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
"World Hunger, Poverty Facts, Statistics 2016." World Hunger News. World Hunger Education Service, 28 Dec. 2016. Web. 30
Apr. 2017.
"11 Facts About Hunger in the US." DoSomething.org | Volunteer for Social Change. Do Something, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
"11 Facts About World Hunger." DoSomething.org. Do Something, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
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