Hunger in Africa

" At least 400 million people are malnourished, over 100 million of whom endure outright hunger if not semi-starvation". (Kent and Myers).

http://www.partnership-africa.org/challenge-africa

There is not a specific time or event in my life that led me to take a stance on hunger in the world, in this post specifically Africa. If anything my parent’s awareness of other countries and attitudes about how we are very fortunate to be living in the United States constantly stuck out to me. My mom kept up with other countries and knew what was happening. In this way, both my parents have influenced me to be aware and curious. However, researching for the Analytical Research Paper is what really led me to take a specific stance on the issue of hunger in Africa. 

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines hunger as, “a craving or urgent need for food or a specific nutrient, a weakened condition brought about by prolonged lack of food”.  This definition begins to explain the feeling too many people in Africa feel right now: chronic hunger. I know that sometimes I feel so hungry and exaggerate the extent of my hunger. However, the difference is I know that when I get home or when I am out of class, I will be able to cure that hunger. Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to cure their hunger.  

http://dolphyne.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/hunger.jpg

Hunger is damaging and takes a toll on the human body. Imagine your body trying to grow, nourish itself and be active without anywhere near the proper amount of food and nutrients going into it? This would affect your everyday functioning."By 2025 the region [Africa] may not be able to produce food for more than 40 percent of its people". ". Imagine living somewhere with fear that one day more than half of your country will simply have no food? Statistics like this should spark awareness in our hearts.

 

          One specific type of hunger which the video above emphasizes is child hunger and the severity of this issue. It talks about how hunger influences other parts of body functioning such as being to weak to fight off disease or malnutrition. "Simple things save lives" is one of the last items the video discusses with an emphasis on the different ways we can help through donating money to buy items such as food vouchers or being a voice to the government. One of the last points of the video is " Whenever world leaders meet let's put hunger at the top of their to do list". This displays one solution of how we can help with this overwhelming issue.

One cause for hunger is poverty. Amartya Sen says “It is important to realize that people starve when they do not have the means to buy food. Famine can occur when there is plenty of food in the country, if income collapses because of unemployment of a fall in real value of wages. Many famines have occurred without any decline in food output”.  This quote is shocking to realize that peoples hunger is not just due to lack of food. It helps provide understanding that some people are hungry because they do not have the means to buy food.

Agriculture is another cause of hunger. The main source of a family’s food and money is through farming. If a drought occurs or a significant weather change it is affecting the family in great ways.  For example, farmers depend on rain to grow their food, without rain a large portion of their crops could be ruined. Since these crops are their family’s food and income, when a drought happens it can be one step closer to a hunger crisis. 

http://thinkafricapress.com/sites/default/files/styles/400xy/public/agribusiness-g8-farm-africa.jpg

 While these do not cover every cause of hunger one more is population.  After Asia, Africa holds the next largest amount of people at one thousand million. With such a large amount of people, the continent is dealing with a situation where it is hard to provide food for everyone.  The continent is not able to keep up with the demand and it is leaving people hungry.
It is an overwhelming problem that can not be solved overnight. However, there are solutions for how this problem can begin to improve. One way is by improving the transportation system such as roads to better help people travel with their food to buy and sell at markets. Another way is through educating people on how to prepare for droughts and how to best grow their crops.

Sometimes, living in America, surrounded by so much food it is hard for people to imagine a place without food, with starvation. This is why we all need to be aware. This awareness can be displayed in several ways such as donating money or items, being involved in political issues involving hunger or simply just having the knowledge and awareness of other places besides the United States.