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Have you ever starved? I once fasted for 30 hours, and I felt like I was going to starve to
death. But, have you ever truly starved? I do not mean the empty, gurgling feeling you
experience in your stomach when the waiter takes too long to bring your food. I mean true
starvation. I mean not knowing when you will eat your next meal. In truth, I do not think you can
ever comprehend the reality of starvation with Wal-mart and McDonald¶s sitting right around the
corner. Even while I fasted, I could still look forward to stuffing my face with a piping hot dinner
at the end of the day. Unfortunately, millions of people around the world have nothing with
which to look forward. In many sub-Sahara African countries like Zambia, more than half of the
population lives on less than two dollars a day. What can you buy with two dollars? The feeling
of true starvation.
Food exists in abundance in our immediate community. Since the Industrial Revolution,
people in the rich world (where GDP per capita exceeds $2000) face little problems with food
availability. Our society has moved away from consuming ancient staples of rice, beans, and
carbohydrates towards a protein-rich and sugar-infused diet. The new diet has even resulted in
"substantial increases in average [human] height and weight, and reoriented the rich world's
agricultures from food crop to animal feed crop production" (Smil 156). Incidentally, the change
in taste also triggered the unexpected consequence of unequal global food distribution, leaving
masses in underdeveloped areas (where GDP per capita lies below $2000) starving and sick. In
order to reduce poverty levels, international communities must rally together to combat
malnutrition by adopting policies to regulate food distribution. We must stop hogging and start
the U.S. is consumed by domestic and overseas livestock, poultry, and fish production." Since
the demand for food crops has diminished significantly in the last century, American farmers
mainly focus on producing crops to feed livestock and to sell to food-processing companies. An
"animal feed crop" market is considered more valuable and profitable due to the increase in meat
demand. However, dangers associated with the transition from traditional to modern diets
include exhaustion of livestock grazing resources and decrease in overall crop production. The
worldwide population growth also causes strain on food production and distribution to
developing nations especially when only a small percentage of crops produced passes directly
In the Western world, food availability actually dramatically increased over the last one
hundred years. Improved standards of living in the U.S. due to the birth of new technologies
greatly increased food demand and individual¶s income (Letellier). To meet the increase in
consumption, for example, the amount of total grain per capita in the U.S. grew 55 pounds
between 1970 and 2005 (Wells 6). Americans could finally afford to purchase a variety of
different foods, consuming more refined grains, fats, meats, and even foreign imported foods to
satisfy their taste buds. All the while, our consumption of fruits and vegetables as well as whole
grains decreased. The excessive daily intakes of certain food groups and collective sedentary
lifestyles led to a plethora of preventable health complications related to obesity. Over one-third
of adults in the U.S. were considered obese. According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Mississippi had an obesity prevalence rate of 34.4% among their population, making
Americans toss on average one pound of food per person every day. In a 1997 data collection,
the Economic Research Service estimated that ³96.4 billion pounds of the 356 billion pounds of
edible food in the U.S. was never eaten.´ Farms, grocery stores, restaurants, and individual
households throw out perfectly edible foods which rot in landfills and emit methane, a
contributor to global warming, into the air. Thankfully, some organizations such as ³Foodchain´
and ³Second Harvest´ have taken the initiative to recover and obtain surplus food to redistribute
to food banks. Five percent of recovered food can feed four million people a day, while 25% can
feed 20 million people (USDA). Food recovery efforts must be supported amidst the current
In contrast to the rich world¶s abundance, more than one billion people around the world
still go to bed hungry every night due to inadequate food distribution and a surplus of other
problems. Many people living in developing countries starve because they cannot afford to buy
food. When the majority of household income, 75%, is spent on food, the recent 43% hike in
food prices has created even more malnutrition-related problems on poverty stricken people
(USAID). "Several factors contributed to the rapid spike in global food prices, including
increased consumer demand for food, oil, and energy supplies among emerging markets such as
China and India, leading to rising energy costs; lower crop yields resulting from adverse weather
conditions." Children suffer the most risk for developmental problems and even premature death
when their parents cannot feed them. One way the United Nations Commission on Sustainable
Development aids in slashing famines and crop loss is to establish technology and secure
agriculture infrastructures where there are prevalent ³insect infestation, microbial growth,
damage and high temperatures and humidity´ conditions. In establishing stable food source,
hungry adults can maintain productivity at work, while children can learn effectively in school.
Maybe we wonder about how starving children from Zambia affects us. Why do we even
care? To start off, kids are less likely or unable to attend school when they are too hungry and
weak. Yet, education is the key to future food security. A farmer with only four years of
elementary education is 9% more productive than if he had none. If kids do not receive the
necessary education they need to be productive members of society, the cycle of poverty
continues. Hunger does not only affect one individual or country, it also affects the rest us. Each
year, hunger costs the world $20 to $30 billion in economic development (World Food Program).
We might not witness such dire circumstances in our immediate surroundings, but hunger exists
In order to cure and eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, a series of vital treatment
steps need to be implemented. The United States Agency for International Development
spearheads the movement, ³Feed the Future´, which strives to better food security through a
collaboration between U.S. and poverty-vulnerable countries. For example, USAID works with
sub-Saharan African countries like Zambia, where 80% of the rural populations live below the
poverty line, and their humanitarian organizations, governmental authorities, and local
technologies and management practices, while short-term food assistance offers a protective
buffer for long-term changes that include proper land-irrigation and higher income per capita.
Other steps such as increasing accessible market and trade opportunities for crops, preventing
and treating childhood malnutrition, and installing natural disaster relief systems create paths to a
Despite efforts to improve income and food security, many challenges still face the
poverty stricken. With the current U.S. economy still heading towards a downward spiral, how
can we focus on improving other economies? Some may even wonder, ³What¶s the point to
eliminating poverty? It will always exist.´ Therefore, we cannot simply rely on the government
and other humanitarian organizations to fix the problem. Children and adults suffering from
chronic poverty are relying on individuals like you and me to help relieve their hunger pains.
One major way we can balance out inequality is to indulge in more locally produced foods to
lower the costs associated with food transport. If we do not have to allocate foods from other
places, then that community can use their own food to feed their own people. If we eat our own
portion of food and do not take other people¶s food supply, then no one will experience true
starvation.
Finding the perfect solution to an issue as complex as food security can be challenging at
best and discouraging at worst. Every component of life can be affected by poverty, but those
components can also be utilized to reduce poverty. Nations, communities, and individuals all
have the ability to feed a hungry world by making the right choices. The transformation of
traditional food trends impacts our world in a wide array of areas ranging from personal health to
global environment. We typically do not think much about any implications that might come
from our food consumption. Nonetheless, our eating habits do matter, both to our bodies and to
our neighbors around the world. We can either encourage continuous gluttony or take action to
prevent the exploitation of the earth's resources by allocating our food sources efficiently and
practicing self-sustainability. In doing both the latter, we benefit ourselves as well as the
forthcoming generations.
Works Cited
Economic Research Service. "Estimating and Addressing America¶s Food Losses." ¢ . Web.
Feed the Future. "Zambia: FY 2010 Implementation Plan." ¢ . Web. 19 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/agriculture/pdfs/2010/FTF_2010_Implementation_Plan
_Zambia.pdf>.
"Major Crops Grown in the United States." US Environmental Protection Agency. 10 Sept. 2009.
Martin, Andrew. "One Country¶s Table Scraps, Another Country¶s Meal."
18
<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/weekinreview/18martin.html?pagewanted=1>.
"USAID: Global Food Crisis." U.S. Agency for International Development. 26 May 2009. Web.
"U.S. Obesity Trends." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 16 Feb. 2011. Web. 03 Mar.
2011. <http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html>.
Wells, Hodan F., and Jean C. Buzby. "Dietary Assessment of Major Trends in U.S. Food
¢ ! "
Mar. 2008. Web. 3 Mar. 2011.