The latest universal hunger index report had been published. As per the report in developing countries the level of hunger has declined by 29%. Even then 795 million people all over the world are still facing hunger. And the fact is that 1 out of the 4 is children. Only one year ago the world united and made history: in September 2015, global leaders pledged themselves to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. But according to the Global Hunger Index published by IFPR (International Food Policy Research Institute) shows that the goal is still too far.
The 2016 GHI has been calculated for 118 countries for which data on the four component indicators are available and where measuring hunger is considered most relevant. GHI scores are not calculated for some higher-income countries where the prevalence of hunger is very low. However, even for some high-income countries, hunger is a pressing concern among a portion of the population, yet the methodology of the GHI is not necessarily appropriate for these countries, nor the necessary data available for the calculations.
Levels of hunger are still serious or alarming in 50 countries. The highest
hunger levels are found in Africa south of the Sahara and South Asia. Although GHI scores for these two regions have declined over time, the current levels remain close to the alarming category. Africa south of the Sahara has achieved the largest absolute improvement since 2000 and South Asia has also seen a sizable reduction—but the decline in hunger must accelerate in these regions if the world is to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030.
But on the other hand Developed Countries are also facing this problem. In UK Food bank usage has continued to rise for another year, according to figures from the country’s biggest provider, as new data revealed that hunger is most common in areas with high levels of disability and long-term illness. Overall 1,109,309 emergency food packages were distributed by the Trussell Trust (The charity, Britain’s leading food bank provider) in 2015-16 – up slightly from last year. But In the case of America, The estimated percentage of U.S. households that were food insecure declined significantly in 2015 to 12.7 percent of U.S. households (15.8 million households, approximately one in eight). This is down significantly from 2014, when 14.0 percent of households (17.5 million households, approximately one in seven),
were food insecure. It continues a downward trend from 14.9 percent food insecure in 2011, the highest percentage ever recorded. However the 2015 prevalence of food insecurity was still above the 2007 pre-recessionary level of 11.1 percent.
The world produces enough to feed the entireglobal population of 7 billion people. And yet, one person in eight on the planet goes to bed hungry each night. In some countries, one child in three is underweight. Why does hunger exist? There are many reasons for the presence of hunger in the world and they are often interconnected.
People living in poverty cannot afford nutritious food for themselves and their families. This makes them weaker and less able to earn the money that would help them escape poverty and hunger. This is not just a day-to-day problem: when children are chronically malnourished, or ‘stunted’, it can affect their future income, condemning them to a life of poverty and hunger. Too many developing countries lack key agricultural infrastructure, such as enough roads, warehouses and irrigation. The results are high transport costs, lack of storage facilities and unreliable water supplies. All conspire to limit agricultural
yields and access to food. Research by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization shows that investment in agriculture is five times more effective in reducing poverty and hunger than and hunger than investment in any other sector. Natural disasters such as floods, tropical storms and long periods of drought are on the increase -- with calamitous consequences for the hungry poor in developing countries. Across the globe, conflicts consistently disrupt farming and food production. Fighting also forces millions of people to flee their homes, leading to hunger emergencies as the displaced find themselves without the means to feed themselves. The conflit in Syria is a recent example. In recent years, the price of food products has been very unstable. Roller-coaster food prices make it difficult for the poorest people to access nutritious food consistently. Above all One third of all food produced (1.3 billion tons) is never consumed. This food wastage represents a missed opportunity to improve global food security in a world where one in 8 is hungry.
The Surprising big truth is that no Government is taken any time bound logical actions to eradicate poverty from the society for they are not experiencing the fact, but only reading, studying and preparing projects!!
