Read the text below to answer questions 15-20.
What causes hunger?
The world produces enough to feed the entire global
population of 7 billion people. And yet, one person in eight on
the planet goes to bed hungry each night. In some countries,
one child in three is underweight. Why does hunger exist? There
are many reasons for the presence of hunger in the world and
they are often interconnected. Here are six that we think are
important.
Poverty trap
People living in poverty cannot afford nutritious food for
themselves and their families. This makes them weaker and less
able to earn the money that would help them escape poverty
and hunger. This is not just a day-to-day problem: when children
are chronically malnourished, or 'stunted', it can affect their
future income, condemning them to a life of poverty and hunger.
In developing countries, farmers often cannot afford seeds, so
they cannot plant the crops that would provide for their families.
They may have to cultivate crops without the tools and fertilizers
they need. Others have no land or water or education. In short,
the poor are hungry and their hunger traps them in poverty.
Lack of investment in agriculture
Too many developing countries lack key agricultural
infrastructure, such as enough roads, warehouses and irrigation.
The results are high transport costs, lack of storage facilities and
unreliable water supplies. All conspire to limit agricultural yields
and access to food. Investments in improving land management,
using water more efficiently and making more resistant seed
types available can bring big improvements. Research by the
UN Food and Agriculture Organization shows that investment in
agriculture is five times more effective in reducing poverty and
hunger than investment in any other sector.
Climate and weather
Natural disasters such as floods, tropical storms and long
periods of drought are on the increase – with calamitous
consequences for the hungry poor in developing countries.
Drought is one of the most common causes of food shortages in
the world. In 2011, recurrent drought caused crop failures and
heavy livestock losses in parts of Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya.
In 2012 there was a similar situation in the Sahel region of West
Africa. In many countries, climate change is exacerbating
already adverse natural conditions. Increasingly, the world's
fertile farmland is under threat from erosion, salination and
desertification. Deforestation by human hands accelerates the
erosion of land which could be used for growing food.
War and displacement
Across the globe, conflicts consistently disrupt farming and
food production. Fighting also forces millions of people to flee
their homes, leading to hunger emergencies as the displaced
find themselves without the means to feed themselves. The
conflict in Syria is a recent example. In war, food sometimes
becomes a weapon. Soldiers will starve opponents into
submission by seizing or destroying food and livestock and
systematically wrecking local markets. Fields are often mined
and water wells contaminated, forcing farmers to abandon their
land. Ongoing conflict in Somalia and the has contributed
significantly to the level of hunger in the two countries. By
comparison, hunger is on the retreat in more peaceful parts of
Africa such as Ghana and Rwanda.
Unstable markets
In recent years, the price of food products has been very
unstable. Roller-coaster food prices make it difficult for the
poorest people to access nutritious food consistently. The poor
need access to adequate food all year round. Price spikes may
temporarily put food out of reach, which can have lasting
consequences for small children. When prices rise, consumers
often shift to cheaper, less-nutritious foods, heightening the risks
of micronutrient deficiencies and other forms of malnutrition.
Food wastage
One third of all food produced (1.3 billion tons) is never
consumed. This food wastage represents a missed opportunity
to improve global food security in a world where one in 8 is
hungry. Producing this food also uses up precious natural
resources that we need to feed the planet. Each year, food that
is produced but not eaten guzzles up a volume of water
equivalent to the annual flow of Russia's Volga River. Producing
this food also adds 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases to the
atmosphere, with consequences for the climate and, ultimately,
for food production.
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