I. The World Food Situation

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I. The World Food Situation

• A. Are people hungry because the world doesnt
  produce enough food?

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• 1. If the worlds total food supply were divided
  evenly among the worlds people, each person
  would have more than the minimum amount needed
  for survival.

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B. Is population the problem?

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• 1. Population has increased 50 in the last 20
  years, but food production has increased even
  faster.

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C. Hunger is a poverty problem.

• 1. Only the poor go hungry because they cannot
  afford to buy food, or they cannot produce enough
  food for themselves.

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II. Types of hunger

• A. Hunger may be a chronic problem or it may be
  temporary due to weather or war.

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• 1. FAMINE a sharp decline in access to food that
  occurs in a particular area due to natural or
  human-made disaster.
• 2. CHRONIC UNDERNUTRITION Long-term inadequate
  quantity of food due to poverty.

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III. Famine

• A. Worldwide deaths in the 1990s
  100,000-200,000 per year.
• B. 576,000 Iraqi children have died since the
  Gulf War due to economic sanctions.
• C. 2.3 million (?) deaths since 1995 due to
  famine in North Korea

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• D. In some cases food may actually be present
  but it is so expensive that only the wealthy can
  afford it.
• E. STRATEGY get food to the affected area

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1. REQUIREMENTS

• a. Ability to get food to the area
• b. Ability to get food to the poor who do not
  have the income to buy food

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IV. Chronic Undernutrition

• A. May be due to inadequate calories, protein, or
  nutrients such as iron, vitamin A, or iodine.
• B. Our major concern is about inadequate quantity
  of food or calories.

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• C. About 1/6th or 13-17 of the worlds
  population suffers from chronic hunger
• (800 million people)
• D. 12-18 million people die each year from causes
  related to inadequate food (35,000 per day)

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• E. Most at risk are preschool children and
  pregnant and nursing women
• 6 million children die each year from hunger (1
  every 5 seconds)

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V. Reasons for foreign assistance

• A. Humanitarian
• B. Political
• Public Law 480 (Food for Peace)

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• C. Economic
• 1. Aid increases exports from, employment in,
  the donor country
• 2. Much foreign assistance is tied to purchase
  of food from the donor

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VI. Sources of foreign assistance

1. A worldwide total of 55 billion to Third World
   countries in 1996
2. U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
   is major development assistance agency of the U.
   S.

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• C. Foreign aid donor countries (Table 1.1-p.3)
• 1. Ranked by total dollars
• 2. Ranked by of GNI
• a. Gross national income is a measure of the
  total value of the goods produced in an economy
  during a given time period.

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D. Foreign aid the U.S.

• What percent of the 1.6 trillion U.S. federal
  budget goes to foreign aid?
• What percent of the U.S. federal budget should go
  to foreign aid?

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• Respondents to a 1996 University of Maryland poll
  thought that 15 of the federal budget goes to
  foreign aid.
• They thought that 5 of the federal budget should
  go to foreign aid.

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• About 1 of the U.S. federal budget goes to
  foreign aid.
• Half of U.S. foreign aid is military related
• 3. Congress recently cut foreign aid by 33
  bringing foreign aid to a 50 year low

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VII. Factors Influencing Food Supply and Demand
in the Future

• Population
• Prosperity
• Pollution or environmental Quality
• Productivity in Agriculture

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• A. STRATEGIES - treating symptoms
• Set up nutrition intervention programs that
  attempt to get food to hungry people

Options Food Rationing Price
Ceilings Limiting Exports Who Picks up the
tab?
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No Matter who pays for these programs, they do
not treat the causes of hunger.
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• B. STRATEGIES - treating causes
• Increase the purchasing power of the poor by
  raising their incomes or lowering the price of
  food

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How is this done?

• Subsidize Food Production
• Increase Agricultural Productivity
• i. Research and Development
• ii. Low Cost Water for Irrigation
• c. Increase Employment Opportunities
• d. Increase Access to Land
• e. Public Health Programs
• e. Reduce Birthrates