One in eight people, or 12.5 per cent of the world’s population, is chronically undernourished today says the latest State of Food Insecurity (SOFI) report. The grave ethical and practical implications of this abominable statistic from the three Rome-based United Nations agencies are obvious. Not least because mass hunger is a man-made phenomenon. Historically, hunger and starvation have been caused not by shortfalls in food production but rather by distortions in commodity markets, deficiencies in distribution and political inaction. We also know the long-term effects of chronic malnourishment on maternal and neonatal health and developmental outcomes among children. That said, a positive finding from SOFI is that the number of malnourished people has declined overall in the past two decades. So the Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of the hungry and malnourished in developing countries by 2015 is still within reach, provided governments initiate effective intervention. But progress has by no means been uniform. Asia and Latin America are on track to meet this target, while Africa has fallen behind due to regression in Sub-Saharan Africa. The proportion of the malnourished in South Asia has in fact increased from 32.7 per cent to 35, while South-Eastern Asia has seen a nearly 50 per cent decline. Fiscal hawks who tend to view public investment in basic services as an impediment to growth ought to take notice of this contrast.
Indeed, the key message in the report is that economic growth by itself is not sufficient to eradicate hunger and malnourishment (just as relatively modest growth is not an excuse for poor nutritional results). Among the remedies proposed are a greater impetus to agriculture, where most of the poor are concentrated, and nutrition and gender sensitive policies. It lays particular emphasis on the public provision of goods and services in health care and sanitation for the most needy. The world financial, food and fuel crises of 2007-2008 have eroded the nutritive gains achieved in earlier years, says the report. But the impact may have been an indirect one of the negative influence food price spikes exert on dietary choices. A common refrain during the recurrent food crises of recent years has been that small-holder farming, rather than large-scale land acquisitions by giant corporations, must be strengthened to protect the worst affected. Policy and decision-makers would do well to remember this. Equally, the costs and benefits of the diversion of food grains and feed for the production of biofuels cannot be overlooked, especially since the jury is out on the latter’s environmental effects.
Keywords: State of Food Insecurity, hunger, starvation, malnourishment, food crises, food production
Sir,
It is true that hunger and poverty need not get reduced by growth alone.Rather if not managed properly, growth may even enhance the number and severity of those suffering from hunger and poverty.It may not be very surprising that for example that under the rule of UPA-1 and UPA-2, at the end of the term , may have created more citizens with severe hunger and poverty in India - food inflation being the culprit. A recent book " 5 Years Guarantee : How To Make India Richer " by Shrawan K Vikram in the domain of developmental economics and public policy explains this labyrinthine aspect of poverty and hunger removal. In my pondered opinion , actions for hunger and poverty removal are required to be done different way though these actions need not arrest or diminish growth. Truism demands also to mention that subsidies being offerred by the ruling party chief to poor and hungry is definitely not the right way since it is devoid of 'Value of Labour' or 'Shrama Mahatva'.
Hunger and starvation is a man made impact and we have to resolve
it.We always run behind the figures showing the economic hay day but
on grass root level people specially of Indian sub continent and
African continent are facing the acme of malnutrition and hunger.We
have made our agriculture more and more commercialized to fed the
urban population whereas the origin of this is itself not getting
sufficient.Nature has also a role here but we can only fight with
these calamities.Rest we only have to work collectively and
effectively to belittle this Problem of food grains.Than only we can
imagine a better and prosperous future.
Very valid point about 12.5 percent world population being malnourished not beacause of decline in agricultural productivity but because of distortions and inefficient distribution.Black marketing and extortion is also adding fuel to fire.It is rightly mentioned that focus should be more on agricultural domain as this is the sector which is facing the brunt of the situation.Beacuse of the middlemans between the farmers and consumers,Farmers are not getting the appropriate prices for the exchange.What an irony,the producer is devoid of something which he produces.This situation needs to be changed and for that government should take appopriate actions and incorporate policies which can better take care of malnourished.
Not fulfilling the basic requirements of life is a sin.
Sir,
I feel just like rail budget, we should be having agriculture budget too. The ministry of agricultre and Health department should be able to project the future needs of the country along with the per capita nutritional requirements of the its citizens
Please Email the Editor