Running Head: HUNGER 1

Community Problem Report: Hunger

The University of Texas at El Paso

RWS 1301

April 22, 2018

Paola Tovar
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Abstract

The issue of hunger around the world has become a big problem that affects everyone in many

aspects including the economy and health of people. Hunger can even lead to diseases or even

the death of many. There does not exist an only solution or cause to this issue. Some of the

causes are the rise of prices, job instability, and food shortages. Engineering is one way that

hunger can be addressed. It has to do with machines and innovating them very often. Therefore,

this makes it much easier for machines to work to find solutions or ways to help feed more

people in the world. Engineering is always innovating many things, so there exist machines that

can work to alter genetic food and therefore increase its production. There are even more

solutions to this huge problem, but engineering is definitely a way that people can start

contributing to make a change. This issue is something everyone should be worried about and

should try to help in any way they can.

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Introduction

The issue of hunger has been around for many years throughout the world and has lead to

many conflicts even in the government. President Bush gave Europeans the idea to start with the

trade of altered crops. Europeans did not accept this since they said that it was a threat to the

lives of humans. Bush said that this was to help end world hunger and that research had been

done to confirm that altered crop do not affect the lives of humans. The United States has

invested a lot of money in biotechnology to help end, or at least minimize the issue of hunger,

and continues doing it. It is a tremendous issue and we should all be worried about it. It has

caused the death of thousands of people throughout the world, and can cause many diseases as

well. Hunger exists everywhere, even in first world countries and can continue to spread if we do

not work to minimize it or end it.

Causes of Hunger

There are many problems that are causing world hunger and we should be aware of them

so that we can try avoiding them. Statistics that Jordan investigated show that “there is enough

grain produced to provide every human being on the planet with thirty-five hundred calories a

day” (2002, p. 2). Therefore, this means that there are more problems behind that are causing

people to go to sleep without a single loaf of bread when there is sufficient for everyone.

Political problems is one cause of why not everyone has something to eat. Pringle explains that

many times it is because of a war that the country has with others (2003, p.43). This causes

people to start fleeing with nothing and therefore don’t have anything to eat since they move to a

new place. This leads people to die of famine, a big problem and concern, according to Johnson

(1975, p.1).
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Another cause of hunger that is given by Clonts is economic problems of both the people

and the government itself (1983, p. 8). Many people don’t have the money required to buy food

or to produce their own food. There are many restricted markets that stop people from having

something to eat. The government also contributes to why hunger exists and this is because of

the unequal distribution of food or even jobs and money. Some governments have programs that

help feed people in need, but most of the times they don’t distribute it to people who are really in

need (2002, p.3).

Economic problems all fall into several categories that cause a bad economy such as

“lack of land reform or redistribution; inadequate rural infrastructure, including irrigation,

transport, and marketing; lack of investment in rural education, clean water, health, nutrition

programs, and family planning; lack of attention to the needs and legal rights of women and

ethnic minorities; and lack of development and dissemination of appropriate agricultural

technologies” described by Jordan (2002, p.3). If we continue to ignore these causes, then we

will not be able to stop hunger from growing more and more and cause more deaths such as

famine (1975, p.1).

Increased production could be the result of many people working to end these small

causes that lead to a huge problem, hunger. Deaths of many occur every year due to hunger.

Some of the problems that Johnson (1975, p. 2,3) mentions that cause hunger are the high prices

of food production and some of the food crisis that have occurred throughout the lifetime.

Between 1973 and 1974, there were some of the first food shortages and high prices that started

causing difficulties in the world, according to Johnson (1975, p.2).

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Hunger in Engineering Courses

Hunger is an issue that has been taught throughout the years and is continued to be taught

even in college. It is of great importance to understand how this issue is affecting all of us and

how it can change the world in the future if we leave it unattended. Genetic engineering, says

Jordan, that it would benefit not only farmers but also anyone working to end world hunger

(2002, p.1). It solves some problems that farmers face which are to decrease diseases and pests.

Johnson states that it can even increase the income of many farmers and at the same time

decrease the price of food (1975, p.2). The use of genetic altered food protects the environment

since there would be less use of pesticides that affect the world (1983, p.1). There are more

solutions to end hunger, but this one would really help.

Technology affects the development of farming in positive ways. An example, given by

Molnar, of a positive benefit is economics (1983, p.16). It helps with the decrease in high prices

in food production. It is also a social advancement that helps agriculture and the development of

it. Technology is a great way to help advance with the altering of crops and can definitely help to

minimize or even end world hunger. According to Molnar (1983, p.1), technology is the most

important solution to the issue of hunger. Engineering is always working to innovate and find

faster and easier ways to get things done, so this is why engineering could be one solution to

hunger.

Improved technologies have occurred throughout many years, and continues to

ameliorate. There are several pros and cons to having machines work for farming and altered

crops. One of the pros is that it sometimes is cheaper to have machines work than having humans

do the worker themselves (1983, p.18). It is also more efficient and is able to be done in time. At

the same time, it is not good since it takes jobs away from thousands of people and affects their
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economy even though the price of food may lower. As a result, technology can benefit and affect

at the same time the economy of a country, which leads to hunger (1983, p. 22).

Genetic Engineering

Americans were one of the first ones to use altered crops and they had planted 130

millions of acres around the world with modified seeds, but the companies had not yet fully

convinced many countries that altered crops would help the economy (2003, p.43, 44). Even

countries in Africa, where there is a lot of starvation, were not convinced that the modified seeds

were safe for the environment and for humans themselves. Some of the cons of having altered

crops were that they could produce harmful toxins and substances and therefore affect the health

of humans.

Genetic engineering is not the only solution to end world hunger and that high population

is not the only problem leading to world hunger. According to Provencher, the reason there is

hunger is poverty and inequality because there is enough food in the world today to feed

everyone and actually make them obese (1991, p.160). Research has shown that genetic altered

food does not increase the crops planted. In fact, altered crops threatens agriculture because of

the use of chemicals. The way to end world hunger is to help do something about poverty. Also,

Simmons agrees that inequality takes a big role in ending hunger around the world because not

everyone gets the same opportunity to have money or the food needed to survive (2017, p.1) . In

India, children received their daily free meal in 2009 (2017, p.1) (See Image 1).

Conclusion

In conclusion, world hunger is a big issue that is causing the death of many people

including children (See Image 2). It is a serious problem and can be stopped if we all work to
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find more ways to help feed more people. Not only should we find more and better ways to do

this, but we should also put on practice these ways. Hunger may not be totally eliminated in the

world but we can do much better to feed more people and distribute everything equally. There is

not one reason of why hunger exists, but there is also not one solution of how it can be ended.

After all this research and putting together these ideas, this definitely states that we can work to

eliminate this big issue.

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References

Becker, E., & Barboza, D. (2003, May 29). Battle Over Biotechnology Intensifies Trade War.

New York Times. p. C1.

Johnson, D. G. (1975). World food problems and prospects. Washington, D.C.: American

Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research.

Jordan, C. F. (2002). Genetic engineering, the farm crisis, and world hunger. Bioscience, 52(6),

523-529. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2002)052[0523:getfca]2.0.co;2

Molnar, J. J., & Clonts, A. H. (1983). Agricultural development and technology transfer:

Technology as a source of economic and social advancement in developing countries.

Transferring food poduction technology to developing nations (pp. 1-11). Boulder, CO:

Westview Press, Inc.

Molnar, J. J., & Clonts, A. H. (1983). Agricultural development and technology transfer:

International technology transfer. In N. C. Brady (Ed.), Transferring food poduction

technology to developing nations (pp. 16-27). Boulder, CO: Westview Press, Inc.

Pringle, P. (2003). Hunger and the biotech wars. World Policy Journal, 20(2), 43-50. Retrieved

from http://0-www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/40209859

Simmons, A. M. (2017, May 28). On World Hunger Day, A look at why so many people don't

get enough food . Los Angeles Times , pp. 1-3.

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Image 1.

Children in India who are

receiving their daily free meal

from the government.

Retrieved from:

http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-global-world-hunger-day-20170528-story.html

Image 2.

A mother carrying her child

who suffer from hunger.

Retrieved from:

http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-global-world-hunger-day-20170528-story.html
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