Description of Food Insecurity and Hunger in the World
The world continues to battle with an array of problems, which pose devastating implications on the populations. One of the major problems experienced by the world’s population is food insecurity and hunger. Food insecurity exists in cases where people at all times do not have social, physical and economic access to safe, sufficient, and nutritious food within their households (Vinegar, 2016). Worth noting is that there exist various forms of food insecurity including; chronic, seasonal, and transitory food insecurity. Chronic food insecurity occurs in cases where the population is subjected to long-term periods of insufficient food availability and access. Seasonal food insecurity occurs in specific seasons when food production is diminished; hence, the population cannot access enough food. On the other hand, transitory food insecurity occurs during periods when people and transiting from seasons of low food availability to season of high food availability.
Statistics on food insecurity portray the fact that close to seven hundred and ninety-five million people globally are food insecure (FAO Hunger Map, 2015). A significant proportion of the food insecure populations is drawn from the developing nations. The fact that people from the developing nations are more prone to food insecurity is evident by the high rates of undernourishment in these countries. Evidence indicate that close to 13% of people in the developing countries are undernourished (FAO Hunger Map, 2015). An analysis of all the continents in the world shows that Asia is the one most affected by food insecurity. Precisely, two-thirds of the Asian population are hungry or food insecure. Africa is the second continent with a high prevalence of food insecurity whereby 25% of its population are food insecure (Vinegar, 2016).
Reason why Food Insecurity Exists in the World
The main cause of food insecurity in the world is unforeseeable disasters, especially draught and famine. Notable is the fact the worlds populations are dependent on agriculture as the main source of food production. Disasters aligned with draught and famine poses devastating implications on agriculture resulting in harvest loses. Draught and famine affect both animal and plant food production (Vinegar, 2016). With regards to animal production, draught and famine hinder access to food and water for the animals. As a result, a significant proportion of animals dies during periods of draught and famine. The death of such animals reduces the animal produce, which reduces food availability; hence, leading to food insecurity. Similarly, draught and famine causes lose in crop produce, which reduces food availability across various households. The problem of draught and famine as a cause of food insecurity is mainly evident in developing countries, which are yet to develop adequate water supply systems for agricultural purposes (Vinegar, 2016).
Possible Solutions
The above analysis points to the fact that food insecurity is a significant problem that requires urgent resolution. There are various possible solutions that can be developed and implemented with the sole intent of addressing draught and famine as the major cause of food insecurity. More importantly, there is the need for the development of early warning systems, which can inform the populations of impending food insecurity situations. Precisely, early warning systems predict the food security situation in the future; hence, can be used to prepare or warn the populations on impending hunger and food crisis (Minkoff-Zern, 2014). As an example, early warning systems predicts seasons of famine and drought; hence, allows the populations to prepare adequately for such crisis by adapting adequate food management strategies such as food storage.
The second way in which draught and famine as the main cause of food insecurity can be resolved is through the adoption of innovative agricultural practices. One of such innovative agricultural practices is the growing of draught resistance plant species. With regards to animal production, animal breeds that are resistant should be bred. The focus on draught resistant animal and plant species would ensure that food production is not affected during periods of draught and famine (Vinegar, 2016). This will contribute to a reduction in food insecurity levels at the households. The second innovative agricultural practice that can minimize the implications of draught and famine is the development of adequate irrigation systems.
Public health nutrition policy is fundamental in addressing issues regarding food insecurity. This is evident by the fact that public health nutrition policy offers a comprehensive platform that creates a well-designed plan on strategies crucial in addressing food insecurity. In fact, the long-term resolution of food insecurity can be assured by the adoption of policies that clearly spell out the role of various stakeholders in addressing this problem (Minkoff-Zern, 2014). The nutrition profession will play a colossal role with regards to the problem and solution. In line with the problem, nutrition profession should be concerned because draught and famine reduce the consumption of adequate dietary choices. For this reason, the problem of draught and famine is likely to result in a poor nutritional status of the populations. With regards to the solution, nutrition profession will focus on the need to ensure that the interventions aim at promoting the production of the diverse crop and animal products. Diversification ensures that the populations will be consuming diverse diets, which promotes adequate nutrition.
References
Minkoff-Zern, L. (2014). Hunger Amidst Plenty: Farmworker Food Insecurity and Coping Strategies in California. Local Environment, 19 (2), 204-219.
The FAO Hunger Map (2015). The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved from: http://www.fao.org/hunger/en/
Vinegar, R. & Parker, M. (2016). More than a Response to Food Insecurity: Demographics and Social Networks of Urban Dumpster Divers. Local Environment, 21(2), 241-253.
