Del Rosario 1

Alfonso Del Rosario

Period 3

Mr. Rivas

AP English Language and Composition

28 March 2017

Synthesis Essay Final draft

We have a population of over 7 billion people that inhabit this planet. Approximately 795

million people are not able to live a healthy and active life, which is about one in every nine

people. Most of these individuals are found in developing countries, where about 13% of the

population are extremely undernourished. The total number of people that die each year from

hunger is approximately 7,665,000 and the average deaths per day caused solely by hunger is

approximately 21,000. All people should have equal access to some form of nourishment,

whether it be a small grain of rice or a buffet fit for a king, and everyone should be given an

opportunity to thrive in this world. Some may say it's impossible, however, it is quite the

contrary, because of a famous saying that states “If we can conquer space, we can conquer

hunger.”

There are many factors that negatively contribute to the decrease of food production. One

of which are catastrophic events such as earthquakes and floods. Earthquakes, for instance, can

leave countries in arguably their worst state. Haiti, for example, “Suffered from a major

earthquake in 2010, leaving them today with two and a half million people in their country

starving and in poverty”. They are considered the poorest country in the northern hemisphere.

“Two out of three Haitians live on less than $2 per day, 50% are unemployed and less than 50%

of households have access to safe water, and only 25% benefit from adequate sanitation.” Also,
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in Haiti “Only 50 percent of the people have access to an improved water source, such as a hand

pump or a well this means that most of the population depends on lakes, streams and rivers for

their water, regardless of the cleanliness. Even if some people can get to better water than others,

a total of 80 percent do not have adequate sanitation available. So even if they run less risk of

becoming ill from bad water, they are unable to clean themselves and are susceptible to disease

and infection”. And “Only fifty percent of children living in Haiti are able to go to school, while

30 percent of those only progress to the fifth grade. As a result, half of Haitians are illiterate.

Without a proper education, the people are unable to break free of the cycle of poverty.” This

limits the opportunities of individuals that live in the country, especially children who have

potential to impact the world, whether it be big or small.

Improvement in countries that were once considered extremely undernourished has

happened. Burundi, for instance, a country in the African Great Lakes region of Africa and also

voted the number one country that suffers from hunger and poverty has, in fact, shown

improvement over several years. “In burundi 73.4% of the population is believed to be

undernourished. Over half of Burundi's population of 9.85 million citizens live below the poverty

line, with an estimated 35% of the population being out of work.” Despite the condition this

country was in they were able to improve their low unemployment rate and their economy over

the years, which shows that every country in the world has a potential to improve.

Burundi is still continuously improving today, relying on their coffee industry. Although

years of civil war and state control created an obstacles for them, they still manage to persevere

and develop little by little. “For us, the farmers of Kazoza N'Ikawa have reinforced something

we already knew - that certified organic farms are not the only sustainable coffee farms. We

hope that someday the Kazoza co-op will pursue organic certification, but their demonstration of
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continuous improvement is a perfect example of what we really value about sustainable

circumstances.” This shows every developing country that there is always a way to get out of the

state of poverty that they are in, and that it only takes a effort to do so.

Hunger is not just a problem that will last a couple of years, it has a potential to span a

course of hundreds of years, generation after generation if not dealt with. This means countless

deaths of men, women and children, who never got to live there life, because of the simple fact

that they were unlucky and were born in a family that lived in a developing country. This

deprives us of the potential of the next generation and after. “The countries with extreme poverty

have a lack of access to not only the proper foods, but health services and education as well.

These countries also show a lack of inclusion, as many of the world’s poorest people do not

receive any representation in the economy or in politics. The lack of education and

representation creates an issue of mobility. People in developing countries do not possess the

necessary means for maintaining life.” “Poor nutrition causes nearly half(45%) of deaths in

children under the age of five, which roughly translates to 3.1 million children each year dying

from poor nutrition alone.” This problem will just become larger and larger as time passes by,

due to the fact that, the world's population is growing in an exponential rate, which means that in

a couple of years we are going to have much more mouths to feed. Furthermore, overpopulation

also means that less people are going to have jobs, because the rate that new jobs are being

created isn't as fast as rate of the growth of our population. Also, the more people without jobs

means there are going to be more people in poverty, unable to afford food or water. This problem

with carry on into the future, engendering new problems the future generation has to face.“While

on the surface poverty is often defined as a lack of income or assets, in the day-to-day lives of

the very poor, poverty becomes a network of disadvantages, each one exacerbating the others.
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The result is generation after generation of people who lack access to education, health care,

adequate housing, proper sanitation and good nutrition. They are the most vulnerable to disasters,

armed conflict and systems of political and economic oppression and they are powerless to

improve their circumstances.”

As I have mentioned, one of the main causes of hunger and poverty around the world are

natural disasters. However, there are many other factors that impact it, such as wars, climate

change, and droughts. Climate change is one of the main causes of world hunger, because

production may be less predictable. Most farmers in developing countries depend highly on

rainfall to water their crops and due to unpredictable weather most of crops that are planted fail

to grow. In addition, droughts happen to be one of the many causes of hunger. According to an

article titled 11 Facts About Global Poverty, “As of 2013, 21.8 million children under 1 year of

age worldwide had not received the three recommended doses of vaccine against diphtheria,

tetanus and pertussis.” The author also stated that “In 2011, 165 million children under the age 5

were stunted (reduced rate of growth and development) due to chronic malnutrition.” Droughts

are a big cause of poverty simply because it's a natural occurrence, meaning it can't be stopped.

“There are also causes of poverty that cannot be prevented, such as drought and warfare. When

drought occurs, families that rely on fruits and vegetables for harvest and income face poverty

from this situation. These families can no longer provide for their families. At times, the crops

can never be recovered due to lack of funds.” Wars can leave whole countries in poverty, as well

as “strain the economy, create safety issues and also require families to face food rations in some

countries. These issues are more difficult to overcome because they can occur suddenly and can

cause everlasting effects on the ecthey

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Hunger and poverty can also be caused by epidemics and disease. Epidemics are easily

one of the more notable causes of hunger and poverty. Epidemics, in some instances lead to the

contamination of water supplies in farms and even contamination of larger bodies of water such

as lakes and rivers. This not only leads to a lack of drinkable water, but as mentioned before,

farmers need clean water to be able to grow crops. Epidemics can also affect animals, infecting

them, making then inedible. According to John Avery, “In 2006, 1.1 billion people lacked safe

drinking water, and waterborne diseases killed an estimated 1.8 million people. The developing

countries are also the scene of a resurgence of other infectious diseases, such as malaria, drug-

resistant tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.” Lastly, epidemics can affect the human body, and if

infected, an individual won’t be able to work for money, potentially leaving them in poverty, and

unable to pay for themselves and provide for their families and due to the lack of money they

have, they become unable to buy food with the proper nutrients the human body needs to

function properly, causing even more diseases for the family, creating a never ending loop for

these poor individuals. “People start reducing the quality of the food they eat. That means less

fresh fruit and vegetables, less meat. They will concentrate on staples, usually grain such as

wheat, maize or rice. This impacts their intake of vitamins and protein, which can be harmful,

especially when children are under two.” contributing to the never-ending cycle of poverty

within their families.

The cost of food is one of the bigger problems that causes hunger, since not everyone is

able to afford food due to their social class. One of the main reasons these individuals do not get

the proper nutrition needed is because of the fact that “The poorest households in the developing

world may spend as much as 60-80 percent of their incomes on food. When prices go up, they

must spend even more of their meager resources on food. That means they have less for their
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other needs, such as clothes, shelter, medicines, school books for the children. And little by little,

non-essentials get cut.” According to World Hunger News, the main problem people are faced

with is that they don't make sufficient income to be able to purchase nutritious food. Making

food more affordable would ultimately reduce the number of hungry individuals. Also, reducing

the cost of food would help people in poverty afford the basic necessities such as food and water.

Lastly, reducing the cost of food would not only help the individuals that need it, but it may also

help the country itself.

Another problem this world is faced with is the fact that most people who are able to

afford food, waste it by throwing it away, because it's either expired or they simply didn't like it.

“Approximately ⅓ of the food produced in the world each year is for human consumption. And

1.3 billion tonnes - gets lost or wasted. Food waste amounts to roughly $680 billion in

industrialized countries and $30 billion in developing countries.” Food loss and waste in the

United States accounts for approximately 31% or 133 billion pounds of the overall food supply

available to retailers and consumers, and has far-reaching impacts on food security, resource

conservation and climate change. “In the United States, 31 percent—or 133 billion pounds—of

the 430 billion pounds of the available food supply at the retail and consumer levels in 2010

went uneaten. The estimated value of this food loss was $161.6 billion using retail prices. For the

first time, ERS estimated the calories associated with food loss: 141 trillion in 2010, or 1,249

calories per capita per day.”

National debt is also one of the many causes of poverty, because a nation that's in debt

means that its citizens are, more likely than not, going to end up in debt as well. “The countries

with extreme poverty have a lack of access to not only the proper foods, but health services and

education as well. These countries also show a lack of inclusion, as many of the world’s poorest
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people do not receive any representation in the economy or in politics. The lack of education and

representation creates an issue of mobility. People in developing countries do not possess the

necessary means for maintaining life.”

Another factor that largely impact the number of people in poverty are jobs. Not

everyone has jobs, and many of the people that do have jobs still don't make enough money to

provide for themselves and for the people in their household. According to the Bread of the

World organization, “hunger rates rise, when the national or local economy is in a slump.”

“Many people in developing countries are willing to work, but are not given the chance to do so

and therefore remain in poverty. The lack of access to education and the jobs that supply little or

no wages continue to make rising from poverty very difficult to achieve. This restricts access to

an income to support families and creates a barrier from the economy and other typical daily

activities.”

Inequality between sexes is also considered one of the causes of poverty. “Women are

often at higher risk than men to suffer from poverty. Inequality is another cause of poverty as

women are more likely to be paid lower wages than men performing the same line of work.

Women are also expected to take on child raising and are restricted from seeking employment in

these developing countries. This inequality creates a disadvantage for women and also prevents

opportunity for more income for the household. Families with only one parent working are more

likely to face poverty and they lack the opportunity to provide the proper education to their

children.”

Many people argue that the main cause of hunger is poverty and the main cause of

poverty is hunger, due to the fact that when people are hungry and don't get the proper nutrition

they need in order to be healthy, they are less likely to perform at their jobs or school well. When
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an individual is in poverty, they won't be able to afford basic necessities. Creating a cycle that is

nearly impossible to stop, because there are hundreds of other factors that affect this.

There are hundreds of organizations that aid developing countries, such as Africa and

India. The most common attempt being an organization helping transform a country's

agriculture, and teach the citizens how they can provide for themselves. For instance, Heifer

international, which is an organization that transforms agriculture. “They fund projects so people

can provide food for themselves in a sustainable way. This is very powerful, because ultimately

we would like to see many impoverished areas not reliant on aid from foreign countries (which

often causes debt) and able to create their own, steady, supply of food.”

Although many countries have shown the potential to end world hunger through

improvement, the idea of a world without poverty and hunger is almost impossible. Studies show

that it would take $60 billion dollars annually to extreme global poverty. Millions of people still

work at jobs where they are given a low wage. Also the fact that many households are only

supported by a single mother or father. Making it extremely hard for these single parents to

provide for their children. And if there is a solution to this problem, it would depend on the

people living in this planet, whether they want to make a change or not, the end to world hunger

rests in our hands. Another way organizations aid developing countries are food donations.

“Although ideally it would be better to get the entire world to a place of self-sustainability, it is

not something that will happen overnight. In the meantime it is important to lend a helping hand.

The impact of donations, both cash and food, have had an immense impact on world hunger.

Organizations such as Food for All have customers donate $1-5 when checking out. Last year

they raised a whopping $60 million to fight world hunger.” The most effective way to support is

when these organizations give men, women and children access to education. According to an
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article called 10 Ways to Stop World Hunger, “Education is the best weapon to use against

poverty and hunger. It is especially powerful in underdeveloped countries. Education means

better opportunity and more access to income and food. Additionally, some countries have food-

for-education programs where students are given free food for coming to school. This may seem

like a basic idea in the United States, but it is lifesaving in many underdeveloped nations.”

We have seen big organizations attempt and succeed in aiding small countries that are

hungry and in poverty. However, to get closer to the ultimate goal, ending world hunger, would

take much more time and money to do. “Alleviating the causes of poverty requires aid from

developed nations, not only in the form of money, but also in the form of helping to mobilize

access in these areas. Helping the education system in each developing nation can provide a

better understanding of health and pregnancy. The proper training can introduce farmers to a

better farming technique to survive a weather disaster. Also, a more inclusive economy and

government system can bring more opportunity to the people in more rural developing areas.

These developing nations can grow from poverty if given the right tools, such as access to

education and the ability to participate in an economy to continue to develop and grow in the

right directions.” Education is a big factor in aiding developing countries, because is creates a

better path for these families, potentially getting a better job. This also means that they're going

to slowly become much healthier due to the fact that they would have better sanitation and make

better food choices. “The lack of education and training for employment inhibits people living in

developing nations from obtaining higher paying occupations. The problem is even greater when

health education services are not obtainable. This causes high rates of teenage pregnancy and

larger families. The larger the families become, the greater the risk of poverty because of the

increased amount of resources needed to take care of the household.”

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Ending world hunger is an accomplishment that is almost impossible to achieve, due to

the hundreds of factors that affect it. From climate change and natural disasters to population

growth and lack of jobs provided. However, with the improvements shown by countries in

poverty, there is still hope that one day, we can put an end to world hunger.

Work Cited

"The World's 10 Hungriest Countries." Global Citizen. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2017.

"Zero Hunger." Front Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2017.

"You Won't Believe How Much Food Is Wasted in America." Mercola.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28

Mar. 2017.
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"Natural Disasters." Global Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2017.

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Web. 28 Mar. 2017.

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2017.

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2017.

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Hunger Project 1990 Aug., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2017.

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28 Mar. 2017.

"Know Your World: Facts About World Hunger & Poverty." The Hunger Project. N.p., n.d.

Web. 28 Mar. 2017.