| – world produces enough food for everyone to feed, but malnutrition is far more widespread than hungerNearly one billion children,Hector Herrera Mexico Jersey, men and women are going to bed hungry every night, according to the World Disaster report.The report stated that millions of people, especially children, suffer from malnutrition, while the world produces enough food for everyone.For decades, images of starving people have stirred the world’s conscience. Less visible have been the millions who experience chronic hunger – today,Hugo Ayala Mexico Jersey, nearly one billion or almost one in seven people worldwide.It was noted that across the globe,Claudio Bravo Chile Jersey, it is the poor, the majority living in rural areas but increasing numbers in urban areas, who experience hunger. “They are also the powerless; those without the means to withstand the effects of climate change,Mario Osuna Mexico Jersey, increasing food and energy prices, and the negative impacts of agribusiness,Jesus Duenas Mexico Jersey, the global marketplace and unfair terms of trade.”David Nabarro, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Food Security and Nutrition,Eduardo Herrera Mexico Jersey, says: “Current levels of under nutrition reflect a massive and avoidable disaster for millions of the world’s citizens. It is inexcusable and morally unacceptable that this situation persists to this day.”The 2011 World Disaster report says that hunger and malnutrition increase people’s vulnerability to shocks and crises,Cristhian Stuani Uruguay Jersey, weaken their capacity to produce food and/or to access affordable, nutritious food and undermine their health and future potential. Severe malnutrition permanently reduces children’s capacity to learn.Malnutrition is far more widespread than hunger; since at least one billion people are undernourished and lack key vitamins and minerals. At the same time a staggering 1.5 billion people are overweight or obese.The reports underscored that the problems of chronic hunger and malnutrition are deep-seated and not amenable to quick technological fixes that are built into the very structure of today’s global food system and their solution requires political, economic, legal and social innovation and systemic changes if we are to create a well-fed world for all.Adding that formulating an adequate policy response requires some understanding of the history that has brought us to where we are now, the 2011 World Disaster report says the history of food is very much a history of human expansion and imperial conquest – of the rich seeking exotic foods and spices, and (for the last few hundred years) of Western powers restructuring much of the world to suit their needs.These are the structures that have led to today’s commodity production and trade patterns,Uruguay Jersey, which are now dominated by relatively few corporations.“The food system is a biological one which requires a healthy biosphere to function. The loss of biological and agricultural biodiversity that gives resilience to biological systems has increased since the 1970s. It has led to various international agreements such as the1992 Convention on Biological Diversity and the 2001 binding International treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.”The report stated. “The core problem for businesses dealing with food is that there is a limited demand for it. All we need is enough food for a healthy diet – and that can be gained from a wide range of sources, as the fantastically diverse range of food cultures shows.“But in high-income countries, as affluence grew, markets quickly became saturated. This placed strong pressures on businesses working in the food sector – which were competing for investments with businesses in other sectors where it was easier to persuade consumers to buy more and more of your product. One can buy as many clothes, shoes or consumer goods as one’s budget allows, without necessarily affecting one’s health; but increasing one’s food consumption beyond the body’s basic needs could trigger the onset of lifestyle diseases linked to overweight and obesity.”In 2010 a new global food security cluster was launched. Previously, there were national teams in some countries that functionally played the role of a food security cluster. However, these had very mixed mandates (some on food and nutrition,Andres Guardado Mexico Jersey, some on food and agriculture, some on livelihoods, etc.) and were led by different agencies and mandates.The global food security cluster functions at a technical level. At a more political level, the Committee on Food Security has recently been reformulated and strengthened. One of its first areas of investigation was protracted crises and consideration of food security response in such crises – some of which have now lasted 30 years or longer. |
