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Global Nutrition Assignment
1) Of the numerous causes of hunger identified in this week’s readings, choose one that you believe would be particularly surprising to most people in the US. Describe to your reader’s how/why this issue impacts hunger.
As I was reading this week, I came across a statistic that reported that stated that greater than 35% of food emergencies across the world are due to human causes such as war, oppression, and displacement. I believe that this statistic would surprise most people in the U.S. because it even surprised me. According to Santa Clara University (2010), “little benefit is derived from aiding poor nations. Aid sent to developing countries rarely reaches the people it was intended to benefit. Instead, it is used by oppressive governments to subsidize their military or spent on projects that benefit local elites, or ends up on the black market.” To hear that help is offered to countries yet authority is keeping it from the people who needs it most is shocking. While in college I took an online course called International Studies in which I had to learn about a lot of different global issues. I remember watching scenes from the movie Black Hawk Down and reading about how the UN sent food to Somalia and sent soldiers there to help this country. However, a lot of food sent to this country and when it was directly delivered to the people, it was beneficial. However, when the UN relied on the authority in the country to distribute the food, it was withheld from the people who needed it most. It is hard for me to comprehend that people who are in charge of a country would want to harm others. Here in the United States, we have all sorts of programs that aide those in need and it is easy to forget that other places are not that fortunate. When food is withheld from those in need, the situation only gets worse which makes the global hunger issue worsen.
2) Discuss the role of women in the issue of global hunger. Be sure to address both how women are particularly impacted by hunger as well as the potential role of women in combating hunger worldwide.
The World Food Programme (2012) states that pregnant women have special nutritional needs and if they can receive proper nutrition while pregnant and while breastfeeding, they can prevent a lot of issues that may arise and increase the number of children and women who are malnourished. The organization also mentions that it is extremely important for women to receive proper nutrition that were malnourished before pregnancy because the women are lacking essential vitamins and minerals. Feeding America (2012) makes a great point by stating that “the immature immune systems of young children, ages 0-5, make them especially vulnerable to nutritional deprivation and as a result, the ability to learn, grow, and fight infections is adversely affected.” If a mother is properly nourished during pregnancy and after, she can exclusively breastfeed her child, especially mothers who do not have a safe water supply for formula mixing. If this would happen, women could help combat the global hunger issue. However, not only would nutrition during and after pregnancy have to be fixed, but breastfeeding education would be beneficial as well.
3) Describe for your readers the potential impact they could make themselves on global hunger by personally practicing sustainability in their own lives. Be sure to make the connections between the two very clear.
If everyone practiced sustainability such as recycling, reducing food waste, donating unwanted food, cutting down on paper usage and waste, composting, and other small changes, this world would see huge changes. George Kent, writer for the Huffington Post (2010), states that the main issue of world hunger is “there is plenty of food. The problem is that more than a billion people are so poor that they cannot afford the food that is out there. The food is available, but not accessible to them.” Supporting agencies such as Samaritans Purse and Feeding America are great ways that we can use that extra change in our pockets of that money that we throw away on excess food to help those in need. Instead of running the water while you brush your teeth, cut the water off and save on your water bill. By during this you can take the money you save over time and put it towards an organization that helps those without a way to access safe water get water that is safe to drink. According to the World Food Programme (2012), the world has enough food to supply the entire population; however, it is not easy to get the food to people in need. Some countries try to control the population of their country, while the issue remains that poor countries have a large population with large problems such as disease and hunger. Without proper nutrition, one cannot fight off diseases and many are dying from malnutrition and diarrhea in third-world countries while wealthier countries are combating obesity and over population. Where do we draw the line? Where does government need to step in? Where does authority need to dictate who can have children and who gets to eat? These are all questions that need to be answered. Sustainability is something everyone can practice in their own lives. A sustainable practice may be something as small as not wasting food or not overeating, but if everyone would practice small changes, the world would see a large difference in issues such as global hunger.
References
Feeding America. (2012). Impact of hunger. Retrieved from http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/impact-of-hunger.aspx.
Kent, G. (2010). Huffington Post. Achieve sustainability or end hunger?. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-kent/achieve-sustainability-or_b_669304.html.
Santa Clara University. Andre, C., & Velasquez, M. (2010). World hunger: A moral response. Retrieved from: http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v5n1/hunger.html.
World Food Programme. (2012). Nutrition for mothers and young children. Retrieved from http://www.wfp.org/nutrition/mothers-children.
