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Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Introduction to world hunger The number of people in the world today being ravaged by hunger stands at a historic height of 925 million. According to the World Food Programme, the worst hunger stricken regions are mainly in the developing countries which collectively amount to 98% of the worlds hungry population. It is beyond doubt that there is enough food to feed the entire human population of 7 billion, but in a cruel twist of irony, many continue to suffer from hunger pangs. It is in light of these developments that this will paper will delve further into the subject of hunger with a view of shedding more light to it and providing a panacea to arrest the prevailing conditions. Causes of world hunger Adverse nature Victims of natural events, most of the weather in the form of droughts or floods continue to be ravaged by hunger. These events have dealt a major blow to food security more so in the developing countries. Recent studies have to fore the question of vulnerability. Human forces make people increasingly vulnerable to natures vagaries such as climate change, deforestation and soil erosion. All these human factors are major contributors to world hunger (Leppe, Collins & Rosset).

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Armed Conflict War itself is never glorious and comes with a heavy price. Armed conflict has led to wide scale displacement of people from their homes, leading to some of the worlds worst emergencies and humanitarian crises. During war, food is normally used as a weapon to starve the adversary into submission by seizing it or by systematic destruction of food and livestock. Years of international and civil war in Cambodia coupled with genocidal policies led to the death of an estimated 10000 to15000 daily due to famine (Seitz & Hike 81). Poverty Indeed, hunger is the worst manifestation of poverty and it will persist as long as poverty exists. Food prices protests witnessed in 2008 is a clear indication that hunger is fundamentally bound to poverty and social vulnerability (Basset & Nelson 4). Farmers lack money to purchase seeds in preparation for the planting season, whilst craftsmen lack the necessary tools to ply their trade. Factors of production such as land and capital are non-existent. With such low disposable income, many are not able feed themselves. The poor traditionally spend 60% to 80% of their income on food and surge in food prices is detrimental to food sustainability (FAO 80). Poor Agricultural practices A small and wealthy percentage of the populations in developing countries own majority of the land. Much of this remains idle and unused or is used for large scale cultivation of cash crops for export (Cullather 15). Misguided government policies where much land is used to grow cash crops for export instead of food crops in the Sahel region have occasioned hunger when famine strikes (FAO 81).

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Solutions to world hunger A change in dietary habits Crops with high protein and calorie content should be highly recommended. Grains vegetable should also be consumed with small amounts of meat or fish for flavor. With such dietary adjustment among the wealthy, there would be enough food for everyone (Seitz & Hite) Emergency relief aid This serves only as a short term measure to curb hunger and not the answer. Relief aid should be reserved or funds be readily available incase of any contingency. The other solutions should be given much weight since they tackle the root cause and not just the symptoms. Alleviating poverty The rural population is the worst casualty of hunger and it is therefore imperative to support dynamic rural growth by improving productivity of small scale agriculture and diversifying into rural non-farm activities and strengthening micro-enterprises (FAO 29). These measures help the poor to meet their basic needs for food, housing, clean water, health and education. Conclusion Apart from nature, all the other causes of world hunger are a result of human action or default to act. The solutions too much be engineered by man and are within our reach. With proper mechanisms in place and well laid structures in place our history with hunger shall be therewith be divorced.

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Works cited Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. State of Food Insecurity in the World: Revitalizing Agriculture and Rural Development. Rome Italy 2004. F.M Leppe, J. Collins & P. Rosset. World Hunger: 12 Myths. Earthscan publications ltd London UK 1998. J.L Seitz & K.A Hike. Global Issues. Blackwell publishing ltd, west Sussex, UK 2002. N. Cullather. The Hungry World: Americas Cold War Battle against poverty in Asia. US 2010. T.J Basset & A.W Nelson. The Atlas of World Hunger. University of Chicago press. US 2007.