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Tue, 12:26 13 May 2008 GMT17

 
Food and hunger

Last reviewed: 21-02-2008

850 MILLION GO HUNGRY WORLDWIDE


The shadows of girls pounding grain are cast on the mud wall of their hut in a village in Niger. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly
The shadows of girls pounding grain are cast on the mud wall of their hut in a village in Niger. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly
Enough food is produced globally to feed the planet but even so more than 850 million people go to bed hungry every night. Hunger is a leading cause of death, killing an estimated 10 million people every year - more than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined.

  • A child dies of hunger every five seconds (WFP)
  • 4 million new chronically hungry people per year (WFP)
  • One in four children in developing countries is underweight (UNICEF)

    Most of the world's hungry are not short of food because of a one-off disaster or crop failure but because of chronic, long-term poverty that means they cannot afford the food that is readily available in their local markets.

    Additional stresses like drought, flooding, war and disease can create local food shortages which, without government or aid agency intervention, can develop into food crises. However, even at the height of a famine, often only certain groups are affected within a particular region.

    While state or aid agency food handouts are seen as a short-term solution and a valuable tool to help, many aid experts say longer-term solutions are needed to address root problems.


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    U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Eric Clamor (L) and Sergeant James McCarty, both assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, fill boxes with 5-gallon bags of drinking water while en route ...


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