Writing competition: hunger facts

Here are some facts about hunger to get your research started.

The report of the 2005 UN Millennium Project Task Force defines hunger as a condition in which people lack the basic food to provide them with energy and nutrients for fully productive lives. It is a fundamental right of everyone to have access to safe and nutritious food and yet 860 million people will go hungry on any given day.

Food prices

The poorest of the poor spend two-thirds or more than half their income on food. Rising food prices exacerbate hunger.

For those living on less than 50 cent a day, which is more than 160 million people worldwide, they have cut out whole meals and sometimes go days without a meal.

Millennium goal

The first Millennium Development Goal  aims to halve the amount of people who suffer from hunger. This target is unlikely to be met in either Sub-Saharan Africa or in South Asia. In southern Asia, 46% of children under five are underweight. 29% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa are underweight.

Effects of malnutrition

Maternal and infant malnutrition is the cause of 3.5 million child deaths annually. This also causes irreversible damage for future physical and mental development in children. Poor nutrition makes people more susceptible to disease.

Forced to leave school

Hunger is a why many children, particularly girls, cannot attend school. Food shortages drive them to work in order to meet essential family food needs.

The economic costs of mass global hunger are enormous. Economic losses as a result of hunger can be up to 10% of a country’s GDP.

For more information, have a look in the Hunger Task Force’s report to the Irish government.

There’s also a lot of useful material on our Hunger Conference page.