The problem of hunger

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The problem of hunger
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The problem of hunger

• Around 1000 million people all over the world are
  starving
• A further 500 million people are undernourished
  which means they do not get enough vitamins and
  minerals from the food they eat
• Every day 34,000 children under the age of 5 die
  from hunger and related causes
• In Africa many communities suffer from hunger and
  food shortages

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What causes food shortages?

• Food shortages can sometimes be linked to
  climatic conditions
• Over 250 million people are directly affected and
  up to one thousand million people are at risk
• Drought is caused by the lack of rain but human
  activity is also to blame, the burning of fossil
  fuels may have caused global warming

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What causes food shortages?

• However those who starve during these famines are
  the poor and deprived who have no access to food
• Population growth may be partly responsible for
  famine, in Africa the population grew at a much
  faster rate than anywhere else

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Population growth

• This is because marriage remains important and
  often takes place at an early age with the result
  that families tend to be large
• This can can serious effects on the environment
  as more land is used and more trees are cut down
  as wood is needed to cook

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Civil war can also cause hunger

• Diverts money from food to weapons
• There can be lack of concern for the poor on the
  part of the ruling elite which will be more
  concerned with personal gain

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Problems caused by clearance of woodlands

• Desert has spread
• More dust can stop cloud growth
• Less rain leading to drought
• Clearing of land for crop production has lead to
  soil erosion

• Many countries now suffer from drought on a
  regular basis since 1950 the amount of water
  available in Africa has fallen by almost half

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Entitlement to food

• Lack of money or goods to exchange for food has
  led to starvation
• When the price of food increases or wages fall
  peasants suffer from food shortages

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Entitlement to food

• Peasants suffer from food shortages when the
  harvest falls as they have no food to eat or
  exchange for other goods
• Africa depends on developed countries to but its
  goods, this means they have to keep their prices
  low