Why are people hungry?

The issues surrounding hunger and food security are complex. Many causes of hunger are linked and jointly contribute to why some families do not have enough access to food. These are some of the main reasons people around the world face hunger today.

Poverty & Inequality

Hunger and poverty go hand-in-hand

There are many causes of poverty including historical and ongoing injustices and social inequalities and historical injustice. Groups facing discrimination such as women, the elderly, people living with disabilities, or racial, ethnic and religious minorities, also experience a disproportionate amount of hunger due to poverty. People living in poverty often spend up to 75 percent of their income on food, making them vulnerable to hunger. Anytime they have unexpected expenses, a drop in income, or poor harvests. Many may cut back on the number of meals they eat each day or buy cheaper less nutritious food. People living in poverty in countries without strong safety nets quickly become vulnerable to hunger as well.

Conflict

Violence forces people to flee, and disrupts the food supply

Conflict is a key reason why the number of people facing hunger in the world today has been rising in recent years. War, civil unrest, political instability, and other violent conflicts devastate normal life, and cause displacement, stress, illness and injury. Conflict prevents people from providing food for themselves. For people who depend on farming, it means being forced from their land and from their source of income and food.

Food System Failures

Interconnected and complex problems require complex solutions

Food systems include all the ways food is produced, harvested, processed, packaged, transported, distributed, prepared and consumed. A breakdown in any of these elements prevents people from having regular access to enough nutritious food to lead active and healthy lives. Agricultural practices, local, national and international trade policies, income sources, market conditions and food waste all have an impact on the number of people facing hunger around the world.

Climate Change & Natural Disasters

A threat to food security

Climate change, including warmer temperatures and more frequent and severe extreme weather events, is having a significant effect on people’s ability to produce enough food to feed their families and earn an income. Climate change impacts crop production, livestock rearing, the frequency of pests and disease, water availability and soil health. In rural communities, where small-scale farmers often lack the information and resources they need to adapt to these changes and often have no back up if their crops fail, hunger may become an ongoing reality.

Poverty & Inequality

Hunger and poverty go hand-in-hand

There are many causes of poverty including historical and ongoing injustices and social inequalities and historical injustice. Groups facing discrimination such as women, the elderly, people living with disabilities, or racial, ethnic and religious minorities, also experience a disproportionate amount of hunger due to poverty. People living in poverty often spend up to 75 percent of their income on food, making them vulnerable to hunger. anytime they have unexpected expenses, a drop in income, or poor harvests. Many may cut back on the number of meals they eat each day or buy cheaper less nutritious food. People living in poverty in countries without strong safety nets quickly become vulnerable to hunger as well.

Conflict

Stress on the body and mind

Conflict is a key reason why the number of people facing hunger in the world today has been rising in recent years. War, civil unrest, political instability, and other violent conflicts devastate normal life, and cause displacement, stress, illness and injury. Conflict prevents people from providing food for themselves. For people who depend on farming, it means being forced from their land and from their source of income and food.

Food System Failures

Food is a human right

Food systems include all the ways food is produced, harvested, processed, packaged, transported, distributed, prepared and consumed. A breakdown in any of these elements prevents people from having regular access to enough nutritious food to lead active and healthy lives. Agricultural practices, local, national and international trade policies, income sources, market conditions and food waste all have an impact on the number of people facing hunger around the world.

Climate Change & Natural Disasters

A threat to food security

Climate change, including warmer temperatures and more frequent and severe extreme weather events, is having a significant effect on people’s ability to produce enough food to feed their families and earn an income. Climate change impacts crop production, livestock rearing, the frequency of pests and disease, water availability and soil health. In rural communities, where small-scale farmers often lack the information and resources they need to adapt to these changes and often have no back up if their crops fail, hunger may become an ongoing reality.

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