Why the proportion of hunger is growing

Context

Between 2003 and 2014, for almost a decade, the number of underprivileged people in the world continued to fall (961.5 million to 783.7 million in terms of numbers and 15.1% to 10.7% in terms of the total population), but the last three This scenario has completely reversed over the years.

Global position

• According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the number of people suffering from hunger in 2014 was 783.7, which was 784.4 million in 2015, 804.2 million in 2016 and 820.8 million in 2017.
• The share of underprivileged people in the world population has increased from 10.7% in 2014 to 10.9%.

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

• One of the largest specialized agencies of the United Nations Organization, which was established in the year 1945 with the objective of improving the productivity of the livelihood of the livelihood of the rural population and the improvement of nutrition and quality of life.

• Its direct meaning is that the food consumed by the people is not sufficient to provide the minimum energy needed to live a normal, active and healthy life.

What is malnutrition?

• Malnutrition is a condition in which the body is not able to get complete nutrition due to taking nutritious substances and food disorderly and it is a serious condition.
• Malnutrition also occurs when a person's diet does not have the right amount of nutrients.
• Actually, we get energy and nutrients through food to stay healthy, but if the food does not get enough nutrients including protein, carbohydrate, fats, vitamins and minerals, then we may be victims of malnutrition.

Influence of malnutrition

• Due to not getting enough balanced diet for the body, the disease resistance of children and women decreases, so that they easily fall prey to many diseases.
• Malnutrition is the root cause of most diseases of children and women. In women, anemia or nausea disease or dry disease or night blindness in children and even blindness is also the result of malnutrition. Malnutrition affects children most.
• It starts before or after birth and increases rapidly from 6 months to 3 years of age. The most dire consequences are the economic losses it causes.
• Due to malnutrition, human productivity decreases by 10-15 percent, which can reduce the GDP by 5-10 percent.

(Team Vision Input)

• More interestingly, this information related to the increase in the number of people suffering from hunger has come up at such times when the prices of agricultural products have fallen on the international market since 2014.
• Compared to the average of 201.8 in 2014, the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Food Price Index (base year: 2002-2004 = 100) declined to 164, 161.5 and 174.6 for the next three years. Observe Graph ....
• Graph on the level of hunger and value of food items globally

What is India's trend

• India can be seen in India due to lack of synergies between the rates of inflation and food prices.
• Based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for industrial workers, annual food inflation (average three years) was between 1.6% and 3.4% between 2001 and 2005. This was a period when the estimated population of the underprivileged population in the country increased from 191.2 million to 256.5 million.
• After this, food inflation increased by two points in 2009-10, which was consistent with global price increases, but at the end of the decade, the number of people affected by hunger in India actually declined to 214.4 million. Observe Graph ...
• The graph of the value of hunger and food items in the context of India

• However, food inflation remained at double-digit level till 2014 (see graph of India), but still there was no increase in the number of people underprivileged.
• Take a look at the data after 2014, it shows that unlike global trends, the number of India's underprivileged population has declined during the last three years. Although the reduction in the number of underprivileged people is very less compared to a deficit of 4% in food inflation by 2017. See graph of India ....
• Now the question arises, how to explain such contradictory activities? Should not the prices of food items fall or inflation should be eased after 2014, after all, it has not only made the food available at affordable rates, but also the number of people suffering from hunger has decreased?

Conflict and climate

• Costaas G., Assistant Director General, FAO Kostas G Stamoulis explains the existence of three factors behind the return of global inferior nutrition.
• First, the problem of displacement of fertile population and food insecurity as a result of various problems and disputes across the world. Of the 821 million undernourished people in the world, approximately 500 million people live in conflict areas like West Asia, North and North Sub-Saharan Africa, Central America and Eastern Europe. Especially after 2010, violent conflicts between state and organized armed groups have increased dramatically.
• Second, the diversity of climate (temperature and rainfall) and changes (dry, flood, terrible lu and storm) come in.
• El Nino of 2015-16 was one of the most influential events in the history of the last 100 years. According to an information, 2016 was rated as the hottest and 2015 second hotest year based on global average temperature. Earth has been the sixth most hot year since the year 2010.
• But the effects of factors like conflict and climate, if any, will be reflected mainly on agricultural production and supply, through which the prices of commodities will increase. Instead, we get to see that wheat, corn, rice, soybean, palm oil, sugar, cotton, milk and almost every other agricultural related items are available in a large quantity throughout the world. If problems related to their allocation and acquisition are resolved, then perhaps a solution to this complex problem can be found. The story of the last four years at India and global level has been in the form of achieving the disappointing income of the farmers, clearly the result comes in the form of factors like starvation and undernutrition, which is a serious problem.

financial crisis

• The third factor referred to by DG Costas G. Stamoulis is economic recession.
• The growing number of underprivileged people is associated with falling economic slowdown and falling prices of commodities (whether agriculture, oil or metal). As a result, revenue of the exporting countries and foreign currency earnings decreases and ultimately the governments do not have the money to spend on welfare programs.
• It appears to be a practical reason in the context of the increase in the number of people suffering from hunger, even among the excessive supply of agricultural commodities and a peaceful environment.
• Channing Arndt, director of the Environment and Production Technology Division in Washington, based at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) also argues in favor of this explanation.

According to Channing, like the 2008-09 (see graph) food prices are hazardous for everyone except vendors, but the good news is that higher prices can encourage production, thereby increasing the potential of agricultural income And as a result the demand for inefficient agricultural laborers also increases. Growth in rural wages will also result in increase in purchasing power as a result. Clearly, the increased purchasing power will be helpful in getting rid of the problem of starvation, on the other hand, on the other hand, it will also be effective in achieving better living standards and sustainable development goals related to health.

Source: Indian Express