- Introduction & Background Information
The world population is about seven billion yet the world reserves continue to shrink each day due to environmental degradation. Many scholars have argued that the world will face food insecurity in the future due to the increasing population. On the contrary, a section of scholars have argued that man has over the years developed various technologies that have been used to boost food production. Some of the technologies that have been realized include bio-genetic engineering which has been used to artificially increase the yields of crops. Despite the milestone that the world of science has made in enhancing food security in the world, the fact remains that millions of people around the world continue to die and suffer from starvation in the 21st century. Statistics shows that “In Canada, some 2.3 million people were identified as being food insecure in 2004, with over 700,000 facing hunger” (Lawrence, 2011, p.44). In the light of this, this paper looks at child poverty in Canada and Toronto.
- Who are Affected and Why?
First of all, it is important to understand that the people who are most affected by hunger in Canada are the people who occupy the lower class in society. Despite the fact that Canada is one of the wealthier nations in the world, the fact remains that the country has realized economic growth and not economic development. In order to best understand this concept, it is important to note that economic growth is the expanding of the economic size. Canada has been able to expand its economy but the national cake has not been equitably distributed to its population. A part of the Canadian citizenry is wealthy while sections of the Canadian society continue to languish in poverty.
- Current Hunger Situation and how it affects children
Members of the lower class in the Canadian society face hardships in being able to provide quality diets for their families due to the fact that they face financial challenges. Inflation in the prices of food stuffs is a key problem that contributes to the lack of food in many homes in Canada (Sizer, 2012, p.38). One thing that is worth noting is that in case of hunger and lack of food, the people who are most affected by hunger is children. Unlike adults who have higher immunity and the ability to persevere, children cannot be able to live comfortably without food. The quality of food that children access at home shapes the immunity of these children against diseases and other illnesses that often affect children. Children from low class families which do not have enough funds to provide quality food, tend to be weak and more likely to contract diseases that are linked to malnutrition or the lack of food (Raphael, 2004, p.195). In spite of the challenges that these children from low class families face in terms of accessing quality food, these children are required to compete with children from high class families in school environments. As a result of hunger, children from low-class families are less likely to do well in school in case they do not have access to enough quality food in their homes.
- Historical and Environmental Factors leading to Hunger Situation in Canada
It is also important to note that there are historical and environmental factors that contribute to the hunger among children in Canada and Toronto. For example, most of the first nations of Canada tend to live in reservations. Life at the reservations is characterized by poverty and the lack of opportunities. This poor life can be traced back to the history of Canada when the First Nations of Canada were displaced from their lands by the British and European immigrants that occupied Canada. In addition, many of the First nations of Canada were relied on agriculture as a way for food production. The continuous environmental degradation of forests and inorganic farming practices in the country has affect food production for these poor communities. Therefore, the poverty of the First Nations of Canada and the adverse environmental changes that have taken place over the years have led to the reduction of food production by first nations of Canada leading to many cases from these communities to suffer from the lack of food(Abergel,2011, p.196).
- Action Plan : Solution to hunger problem both short and long term
In the light of the food insecurity facing children and the low class in the Canadian society, there is need for the government to adopt initiative and projects to address these challenges. The first integral step towards long term food security is the adoption of legislation that seeks to protect the environment from degradation and the restoration of the degraded areas (Rootman, 2012, p.335). Individual people should also embrace sustainable agricultural practices such as organic farming and environmental conservation initiatives in order to help enhance food security in the future. Secondly, the government of Canada should extend welfare to poor families that do not have the ability to afford quality food. In this way, the welfare of children that are brought up in these low class families is protected from the possibility of starvation. In addition to assisting poor families with welfare schools should have free meals funded by the government to ensure that all children in the class environment are well fed. In this way, children from poor families can be able to concentrate in the classroom. Finally, the government of Canada should partner with the private sector and the corporate market to fund initiatives that are geared towards enhancing food security among the poor populations of Canada.
References
Abergel, E. A. (2011). Health and sustainability in the Canadian food system: advocacy and opportunity for civil society. Vancouver: UBC Press.
Lawrence, G. (2011). Food security, nutrition and sustainability. London: Earthscan.
Raphael, D. (2004). Social determinants of health: Canadian perspectives. Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press.
Rootman, I. (2012). Health promotion in Canada: critical perspectives on practice. Toronto: CSPI.
Sizer, F. (2012). Nutrition: concepts & controversies. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
