Humans have had a great impact on all aspects of our environment. From various kinds of pollution to climate change, we have managed to influence and change the surface of the earth to such a great extent that our impact is now only considered negative.

 

But it is not just the environment we have neglected; we are also responsible for the neglect forced upon us by our own kind. By means of war, unequal distribution of wealth & assets, and injustice in the form of racism, caste-ism and sexism and the invariable struggle for wealth and power have resulted in us neglecting our own brethren.

 

 

Our planet has enough resources to feed 7.2 billion people, yet 11.8% of the world’s population, i.e. nearly 852 million people suffer from hunger all over the world and 9 million people die from hunger, each year. About 98% of those who suffer from hunger are from developing nations like those from Asia, Africa and South America. ​

 

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​In India alone, it is estimated that over 15% of the population goes hungry. This means, of the 1.2 billion people in the country, 194.6 million people go hungry and are malnourished. This could be due to uneven distribution of wealth, where the rich get richer and the poor remain; or also due to the larger part of the population that belongs to rural communities. They do not lack the means; however they do not have the economic capability to sustain, as most of those who come under this category are of “unimportant” castes. They are ignored and cases of their deaths due to starvation, more often than not, go unreported. This is a great injustice on our part as food is a basic right that must be distributed evenly.

 

 

 

More women go hungry, than men in the world. This is mostly because we live in a patriarchal society and this enables the women with very few means and resources to sustain themselves. Their status undermines their access to aid, improved seeds, equipment etc resulting in lower yield (20-30% lower than males). During a time of crisis, women are more likely to ‘sacrifice their food consumption, in order to protect the food consumption of their families’. (WFP)

 

Malnutritioned mothers give birth to underweight babies with increased risk of future diseases, physical retardation, reduced cognitive abilities and higher mortality rate. As a direct result of this, malnutrition and hunger result in the death of over 3.1 million children globally every year. It also contributes to 20% of maternal death rates as a result of anaemia. In addition to this, Malnutrition is also the cause of various other problems in children, like stunted growth and wasting (children well below the average weight for their age). In India alone, the figures are staggering. About 44% of children under the age of 5 are underweight and 72% of infants and 52% of married women have anaemia.

 

 

 

 

The Word Health organisation and the food and agriculture organisation of the United Nations claim that the rate of hunger in most affected areas have dropped since the last census in 1992 and far less people are going hungry today. The number of hungry people has decreased by 216 million since 1992.  However, this does not mean that hunger has been completely eradicated. Whether a developed nation or a developing one, hunger is still prevalent due to poverty. Poverty is said to be the main cause of hunger everywhere in the world.

 

Countries that have decreased their number of hungry include regions of Latin America and Southeast Asia, whereas in the sub-Saharan regions of Africa, people are still struggling. It is estimated that despite the fall of 10% in the hunger rate, the number of people going hungry has shot up, from 175.7 million in 1992 to 220 million.

 

According to a report released in January 2017, the Famine Early Warning System Network or FEWS NET, an estimate of 70 million people across 45 countries will require emergency food assistance this year with four countries in Africa (Nigeria, Sudan, Yemen and Somalia) facing an increased risk of famine. Persistent conflicts such as Boko Haram crisis, drought driven by the 2015/16 El Nino & the 2016/17 La Nina and economic instability has disrupted livelihoods, reduced crop harvests and water, for both humans and livestock, lead to a very steep increase in the prices of staple food.

 

 

To prevent diseases and promote good health among youth, great measures have been taken, in order to eradicate hunger all over the world. Our planet produces enough food to feed its 7.2 billion population but due to unpredictable and dire circumstances, as well as uneven distribution, hunger still prevails.

 

About 75% of the world’s poverty stricken people grow their own food, but due to unpredictability of climatic conditions, drought and natural disasters, the source of food for the entire family may be lost and they end up starving. 

 

 

 

Some simple tactics discussed by the UN include preventing of land grabbing from the poor. This means preventing the rich from buying off the land the farmers are using to grow food in.

Another means includes investing in rural areas. This would give them the opportunity for sustainable development and equality. Improvement of sanitation in these regions, as well as providing the rural class with better standards of education will also help them seize the opportunity to grow.

 

 

In India, several measures have been taken so as to eradicate hunger and targets have been set to ensure they are achieved. Since India is the country with the largest population of hungry, the government passed the food security bill in 2013 so that each individual is granted a certain amount of grains and rice per month. The integrated child development scheme also ensures that no child in the country goes hungry and also makes sure that pregnant mothers receive the care and nutrition required to deliver healthy babies. The targeted public distribution system or the TPDS introduced in the country in 1997 also ensures the equal distribution of resources for the better development of children and even women. It studies the required means necessary in a particular region and distributes accordingly.

 

Apart from these initiatives taken by the government for the well-being of the people, there are several other organisations working either with the government or independently to help bring the situation under control. There are several NPOs private companies making contributions to the well-being of the people and the environment. Organisations like Feeding India, The Hunger Project, Fight Hunger project, Glow Tide, Akshaya Patra Foundation, The Robin Hood Army, etc. are all working towards eradicating hunger and making sure that no one goes to bed hungry. These organisations help distribute food amongst the underprivileged.

 

 

Since there are several government and non-government organisations within the country that are working strenuously in order to make sure to eradicate hunger and also make sure that children and women are healthy, we can volunteer with them and be a part of their journey to help our own. You can log onto their websites and learn about how you as an individual can contribute.

 

Other ways we can contribute, as mentioned above.

It is not hard for us to be humane, as it is in our nature to care and nurture.  A little compassion is the greatest contribution we can make, for it is only human to need and to be needed.