TACKLING HUNGER GLOBALLY

Hunger is one of the indicators of the magnitude of socia in!ustices that e"ist in the
#ord$ Its e"istence can %e traced %ac& 'er( man( (ears %ac&$ The )rench Re'oution
in the *+th Centur( #as dri'en not on( %( demands for ,oitica freedom- %ut aso %(
the ac& of %read in .aris$ )ood has %een the cause and effect of man( riots occurring
#hene'er go'ernment ,oicies caused se'ere economic hardshi, and cashed #ith the
%asic human right to food$ Tea #as a non/edi%e food item that #as used as a ,rotest
too %( a grou, of Boston citi0ens- to ,rotest the British ta" on tea im,orted to the
coonies$
The food crises around the #ord ,rom,ted the esta%ishment of the 1ord )ood
.rogramme$ In addition- man( other United Nations agencies ha'e incuded hunger or
food securit( in their #or& ,rogrammes$ These incude2 The United Nations Chidren
Education )und- the United Nations 3e'eo,ment .rogramme- the 1ord Heath
Organisation and the different United Nations missions to #ar torn countries$
The term 4hunger5 is oose( defined and the meaning is often ada,ted to ser'e the
,ur,oses of those #ho ma( %e e",eriencing it$ )or man(- es,ecia( in affuent
countries- hunger is the gna#ing ,ain in the stomach #hen a mea is missed$ On the
other e"treme- hunger is the ,h(sica de,etion of those suffering from chronic under/
nutrition$
Hunger is- ho#e'er- muti/dimensiona- encom,assing the emotiona and ,oitica
as,ects of the societ($ It incudes the anguish of a farmer faced #ith the choice of
seing the ,roduce from his farm- to ,a( rent for the and or feeding his fami( #ith
the food$ It in'o'es the grief of #atching in he,essness as o'ed ones die for
%rea&ing the ,ractices and ,oicies set %( a handfu of eites$ Restrictions and a#s are
,ut in ,ace to ensure that the ,oor and hungr( are forced to ,ro'ide their a%our in
e"change for o# #ages or sma ,ortions of food$ In order to maintain the status quo,
reguations are in ,ace to reduce the chances of sef/sufficienc( for the ,oor$ E'en the
Indian go'ernment5s schemes of rice and #heat at e"treme( su%sidi0ed rates is a no/
go6either that grain finds its #a( to the %ac& mar&et or the 7uait( is too ,oor to %e
consumed %( an( human %eing$
.o,uation gro#th has %een %eie'ed to %e the cause of hunger in some ,arts of the
#ord- as there is ,ressure on the #ord5s imited resources$ Thomas 8athus- an
Engish economist- argued that ,o,uation gro#th #oud ine'ita%( outstri, the food
and #ater su,,( at some ,oint- since ,roducti'e and and safe drin&ing #ater are
finite resources$ 8ass star'ation and anarch( #oud- therefore- %e a conse7uence of a
high rate of ,o,uation gro#th$ This %eief and the ,ro%em of addressing the needs of
a gro#ing ,o,uation ed to drastic measures to reduce the rate of ,o,uation gro#th$
Hunger is a cause and effect of ,o'ert($ It is res,onsi%e for the de%iitation of ,eo,e
,h(sica(- ,h(sioogica( and ,s(choogica($ The most a%undant asset a'aia%e to
the ,oor is a%our- #hich coud %e used to earn a i'ing$ Ho#e'er- hunger means that
this a%our is ineffecti'e- entra,,ing the ,oor in hunger and ,o'ert($ )or the a%!ect(
,oor- the dai( strugge of finding food for the fami( ,ushes aside an( consideration of
ong/term de'eo,ment$
1hie modern technoog( and medica research ha'e disco'ered man( inno'ati'e #a(s
of fighting man( ,ests and diseases- famines has %een a source of serious distress for
man( (ears$ The ,ressure to feed the #ord5s ,o,uation has resuted in the use of
margina- erosion/,rone ands and deforestation$ This ma&es the en'ironment more
,rone to famine situations and the fertiit( of the and is undermined$ Natura disasters
are indiscriminate and affect the ,oor and rich ai&e$
An o,tion to the hunger in ,resent da( is to reconstruct agricuture to %e more sef/
reiant and discourage s,eciai0ation$ He, from aid agencies has to %e reduced %(
increasing sef/reiance- for that is a ong/term measure$ The de'eo,ment of farm
coo,erati'es shoud %e encouraged to faciitate and su,,ort farming acti'ities among
farm #or&ers and ur%an migrants #ishing to return to their rura homes$ Increasing
the amount of ara%e and under cuti'ation can aso enhance food securit($
Reduction or canceation of de%ts o#ed %( farmers #oud %e an incenti'e for their
increased contri%ution to#ards ensuring food securit($ The e",oitation of farm
#or&ers and sma farmers is main( %ecause of their ina%iit( to e"act a fair ,rice for
their a%our and the goods the( ,roduce in a mono,o(/controed mar&et$ No #onder
the suicides ha'e %ecome a reguar feature in the rura districts$ Uness the #or& is
ta&en u, on a #ar footing across the #ord- #e #i %e ,ut to shame re,eated( %(
s&eeta e",ressions of ,eo,e in ,aces i&e 9omaia- Ethio,ia- and coser home in
8aharashtra- Andhra .radesh etc$