World Hunger: Problem and Solutions - Essay Example

World hunger is mainly attributed to poverty (“World Hunger Facts, 2006”). The destitute are deprived of the resources that would enable them to address their basic needs including food. Poor people do not have ample resources such as land, tools, and money that are needed for growth and consistently purchase food for regular nourishment (“Hunger Facts”).

Another reason cited for world hunger is the persistence of drought particularly in the African region. According to the UN Chronicle, drought is the single most common cause of severe food shortages in African developing nations that experience the driest seasons. This condition is compounded by the prevalence of poverty and political turmoil in these countries.

As mentioned, political strife or armed conflicts are also regarded to cause world hunger. Wars disrupt agricultural production, which is the primary source of food (“Hunger Facts”). It should be noted that based on studies conducted by Food First, there is sufficient agricultural capacity on earth to feed all people (“Wikipedia”). However, problems relative to hunger arise because of the disruption in distribution networks. For instance, should there be wars the distribution of food aid and imports is restricted, thus, hunger results? Moreover, countries with political turmoil often witness their governments engaged in war spending rather than on social programs funding that could have facilitated hunger reduction (“Hunger Facts”). These have been seen in conflicts in Ethiopia, Somalia, Iraq, and Yugoslavia (“The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia”).

Environmental overload leading to over-consumption is also cited as a cause of world hunger (“Hunger Facts”). Some countries such as China and India may have rapidly increasing population growth that potentially strains available food supply. This may result in food scarcity that may cause and aggravate world hunger.

Racial/ethnic and gender discrimination also leads to world hunger. This is because those discriminated against may lack access to education and employment (“Hunger Facts”), factors which could have been instrumental in the alleviation of poverty and therefore hunger. As they are denied access to school and work, they do not acquire sufficient knowledge and have earning capacity that is needed to address poverty and hunger.

Chronic hunger adversely affects the health of sufferers. Those who suffer from starvation and do not consume sufficient nutrients become vulnerable to infections and illnesses as their bodies are not strong enough to battle sicknesses. Specifically for women, those who experience chronic hunger are more prone to illnesses and bear weak offspring.  Moreover, hunger serves as a barrier to development and economic growth since children deprived of the essential nutrients are unlikely to have the mental capacity to finish school so they end up having low earning potential. This brings about the vicious cycle of hunger and poverty.

In light of the above, it is evident that world hunger is one of the major problems confronted by many people. To address this, global organizations including the UN are engaged in various initiatives that would promote the improvement in agricultural productivity, especially in poor rural communities as well as the expansion of rural infrastructure and market access to enhance food distribution networks. Furthermore, collaborative efforts between such institutions and governments of various countries endeavor to strengthen the capacity for knowledge generation and dissemination regarding hunger and ways to prevent this from occurring.