Introduction
It is important to note that world hunger still remains to be one of the most critical problems on the global scale. Although humanity achieved massive progress in the development of advanced technology, which created an unprecedented level of prosperity and abundance, hunger still impacts the most vulnerable groups. In order to properly and comprehensively understand the subject of world hunger, it is critical to analyze key data sets and trends, such as growth or decline rate, regional changes, and trend analysis.
World Hunger Data Analysis
Before addressing the underlying figures and numbers behind world hunger, one needs to define and outline the problem being addressed. It is stated that “according to the UN’s Hunger Report, hunger is the term used to define periods 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” (Action Against Hunger, 2022, para. 1). In other words, the severity level of food insecurity is determined by one’s inability to access food for several consecutive days. When it comes to precise caloric measurements, “the threshold for food deprivation, or undernourishment, is fewer than 1,800 calories per day” (Action Against Hunger, 2022, para. 2). The relevant terms include undernutrition, which signifies “deficiencies in energy, protein, and/or essential vitamins and minerals,” and malnutrition, which “refers more broadly to both undernutrition and overnutrition (problems with unbalanced diets)” (Action Against Hunger, 2022, para. 2). Therefore, food insecurity and hunger is a complex topic that depends on variables such as caloric value, nutritional value, and access to food.
World hunger is a pervasive and widespread problem with roots in social, demographic, political, and economic factors. It is reported that “as many as 811 million people worldwide go to bed hungry each night,” and “about 690 million people globally are undernourished” despite the fact that “there is more than enough food produced in the world to feed everyone on the planet” (Action Against Hunger, 2022, para. 10). Although the world hunger rate has been declining for the past decade, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was devastating in halting this progress. The World Health Organization WHO reports that “disturbingly, in 2020, hunger shot up in both absolute and proportional terms, outpacing population growth: some 9.9 percent of all people are estimated to have been undernourished last year, up from 8.4 percent in 2019” (WHO, 2021, para. 5). In other words, the economic and public health impact of the coronavirus exacerbated the problem of world hunger.
It should be noted that humanity’s top goal is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger worldwide. However, according to the United Nations or UN, “the world is not on track to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030. If recent trends continue, the number of people affected by hunger will surpass 840 million by 2030” (UN, 2022, para. 2). The main causes include climate change, economic recessions and downturns, and man-made conflicts.
A detailed prevalence of world hunger by regions from 1990 to 2012 is presented below in Figure 1. On average, it is evident that world hunger is the most impactful in Asia, including southern Asia, eastern Asia, and south-eastern Asia. For example, in 2012, Asia constituted 62.2% of total global hunger, which was followed by Sub-Saharan Africa at 26.6%. Therefore, the efforts to eradicate global hunger need to be primarily focused on the continent of Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
In the case of growth/decline rates, world hunger was clearly following the decreasing trend until 2014, which changed and even worsened due to the pandemic. From 1990 to 2012, the percentage change was (1015 – 805) / (1015) = 20.69%. In other words, there was an evident world hunger reduction of 21% between the selected time periods. The majority of improvements were mainly made in eastern and south-eastern Asia, which shrank significantly over the given period. The most plausible reason is the rise of China as an economic superpower, where it was able to lift millions of Chinese from poverty through intensive policies, urbanization, and developments.
Thus, hunger, which is an extremely negative phenomenon hindering the development of society, requires the closest attention from both international organizations and national governments, which must have reliable information in order to make competent management decisions aimed, if not complete elimination, then at least to minimize potential losses. The current system of registration of people experiencing hunger allows one to get only a general, approximate idea of the extent of the spread of such a negative social phenomenon on the planet and, therefore, significantly reduces the effectiveness of the fight against it. For a comprehensive assessment of the numerous aspects of hunger, it is advisable to use a system of indicators that would provide an opportunity to assess not only the absolute and relative size of the population of the hungry but also the structure of the hungry and the direct and indirect losses caused by hunger. The development and continuous improvement of the system of indicators will form the theoretical basis for an adequate assessment of the current situation and minimization of society’s losses due to famine.
The food problem is multifaceted and is influenced by political, social, and economic factors. In the context of the global economic crisis, many states are primarily engaged in the regulation of the economic sector, and the food problem has receded into the background. This greatly aggravated the situation in developing countries, which are experiencing hunger especially acutely. Due to the suspension of investments, many states have not been able to adequately provide assistance to their population after natural disasters. In such a critical situation, when many human lives are at stake, the world community should have taken a closer look at the use of GMO products to solve the food problem. As for the problem of overeating, in this case, the need for state regulation of the situation, the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, rational nutrition, and systematic physical activity is obvious.
Conclusion
In conclusion, world hunger is a major global issue, which became exacerbated and worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The trend of decline was evident for several decades from 1990 to 2014, but such a reduction halted due to the emergence of world conflicts and climate change, which are primary drivers of world hunger. China made significant efforts and achieved substantial improvements in reducing the prevalence of hunger in eastern and south-eastern Asian regions. The efforts in the continent should continue, but more focus should also be given to Sub-Saharan Africa. Global economic resilience to disruptions in the food supply chain needs to be implemented to ensure the vulnerable are protected from hunger.
References
Action Against Hunger. (2022). World hunger: Key facts and statistics 2022.
UN. (2022). Goal 2: Zero hunger.
WHO. (2021). UN report: Pandemic year marked by spike in world hunger.