Social issues: food security
SOCIAL ISSUE: FOOD INSECURITY By: Koh Tian Lei Food insecurity occurs when rates of hunger and malnutrition rise sharply at local, national, or global levels. Malaysia does not face food insecurity problems. It is because our governments are always managing the food supply and food price of the country. Citizens are able to buy food at a cheap price. Besides that, Malaysia has a well-developed healthcare system that provides access to healthcare services. Government can help the poor by supplying food and food allowance. As a Malaysian, I am appreciative that I was born in a country that does not face food insecurity. However, there are still some countries that their citizens are facing food insecurity seriously. Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic rise in global hunger. Haiti is a country facing food insecurity now. There are 1.5 million children who do not consume enough food. In a case, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) stated that another 217,000 children face malnutrition seriously and affect their growth and immunity system. This causes the children who are infected with cholera to be difficult to discover and may cause death. Haiti faces food insecurity because of the economic crisis, climate change, COVID-19 pandemic and political turmoil. Because of political instability and fuel shortages, the economy shrunk by 1.9% in 2019. Inflation causes the food price to increase and most families are unable to buy enough food. Food sources are not enough due to climate shock such as rising temperatures and drought. In addition, 25 million people in Nigeria are facing food insecurity. According to the National Emergency Management Agency, the rainy season during 2022 has destroyed 676,000 hectares of farmlands and above because of widespread flooding. Northeastern Borno State is the state facing the most serious food crisis. Civil war in the state cause more than 2 million people to be displaced and forced to live in dirty refugee camp. Seriously, it causes the total number of people facing food insecurity to rise up. Besides that, the capacity for food production is exceeded because of the population boom in Nigeria. Food insecurity in Nigeria increases the risk of malnutrition, stunted growth and developmental problems in children. In 2023, 6.6 million people in Somalia will experience high levels of food insecurity. The population of people at displacement camps close to urban areas increase and crops fail and livestock die because of drought are main factors of the food insecurity in Somalia. The drought also affects the water supply of Somalia and makes it difficult for people to obtain clean water. 90% of food in Somalia is imported from Russia and Ukraine. However,
the Ukraine war has caused Somalia to suffer from a huge shortage of food supplies. Due to this the food insecurity causes nearly 50% of the country’s under-five population to suffer from malnutrition. Food insecurity has an effect on the global population, especially children. Food insecurity associated with poor diet quality. Children cannot obtain enough nutrition from meals. As a result, Food insecurity will lead to malnutrition which affects a child's physical and cognitive development. Malnourished children may experience stunted growth, compromised immune systems and underweight. For example, more than 115,600 children in Haiti are expected to suffer from severe wasting and nearly 25% of children will suffer from stunting in 2023. Moreover, food insecurity will bring a lot of health issues. It is because the children experience a weak immune system. There are some ways to help the country which faces food insecurity. For example, we can provide emergency food aid to the victims. Especially children, pregnant women and elderly because they are vulnerable populations. Volunteers can distribute food to them through local organizations and government agencies. For example, The World Food Programme (WFP) and partner organizations are working to distribute food to 45 countries. They work hard to solve famine in these countries. For example, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen, where conflicts have destroyed local food systems. We can support WFP by donating money through WFP’s website. Over and above, the governments need to ensure universal school meals are provided to all students. Globally, more than 73 million students lack reliable access to school meals. Hunger will cause students difficulty to pay attention and study, which ends up undermining their future productivity. As a result, school meal programs can help students get free meals and reduce the burden of family. Besides that, it can support local farmer and family income by generating jobs for community members to enhance the economy of the community. According to WFP, for every $1 invested in school meals, communities see $9 in returns. Climate extreme is a factor of severe hunger. The extremely weather like droughts, flooding, hurricanes and cyclones cause decimate farming and drive displacement. Many families lost their habitat and food source. As a result, food shortage and diminished economies cause the food price raised up and unaffordable. To solve this problem, The World Food Programme helps communities build resilience to climate change such as providing insurance for small-scale farmers and organizing land rehabilitation projects and reforestation to reduce crop loss. As a responsible human, we must protect our environment to avoid natural disaster that can affect global food yield and solve food insecurity.
In a nutshell, food insecurity encourages us to consider the challenges and suffering experienced by people who lack access to adequate food. We learn to appreciate if we have enough food and a healthy body. We do not need to worry about meals and have a chance to enjoy various types of food. We should eat an appropriate amount of food to prevent wasting food and overeating. Other than that, we learn that food insecurity is a serious social issue globally. The government of each country is responsible to consider ways to prevent food insecurity from occurring in the future. For example, ASEAN countries and the three Northeast Asian countries of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, signed the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) Agreements to overcome rice supply shortages in emergencies occurring in any of the signatory countries and prevent food insecurity. (1024 word)
1 Reference Armed violence plunging children into severe acute malnutrition in Haiti. (n.d.). Www.unicef.org. https://www.unicef.org/lac/en/press-releases/armed-violenceplunging-children-severe-acute-malnutrition-in-haiti Philipp, J. (2023, May 21). Hunger Crisis in Nigeria. The Borgen Project. https://borgenproject.org/hunger-crisis-in-nigeria/ 1.9 Million Children Face Growing Hunger Crisis in Haiti. (2021, June 1). Global Citizen. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/haiti-hunger-crisisunicef/?gclid=CjwKCAjw7c2pBhAZEiwA88pOF5OmqsxTOL4cAeobbmW_6HnS7ONI Hw8c7ZNTnan9UpVVehylQAJRXxoCx_wQAvD_BwE UNICEF. (2023, January 16). 25 million Nigerians at high risk of food insecurity in 2023. Www.unicef.org. https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/25-million-nigerians-high-riskfood-insecurity-2023 Grammatikopoulou, M. G., Gkiouras, K., Theodoridis, X., Tsisimiri, M., Markaki, A. G., Chourdakis, M., & Goulis, D. G. (2019). Food insecurity increases the risk of malnutrition among community-dwelling older adults. Maturitas, 119, 8–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2018.10.009 World Food Program USA. (2022, November 29). How to End World Hunger: 6 Zero Hunger Solutions. World Food Program USA. https://www.wfpusa.org/articles/how-to-endworld-hunger-6-zero-hunger-solutions/ Donate | World Food Programme. (n.d.). Www.wfp.org. Retrieved October 22, 2023, from https://www.wfp.org/supportus/stories/donate?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=1271229 3304&utm_content=120989103775&gclid=CjwKCAjw7c2pBhAZEiwA88pOFu6iQtmC-fJEtLAJJRp5izLB_9AE_CMnQ1VuGLvPIDaVeDFvsrhRoCsD0QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds School Meals: A Lifeline for Girls Long Before the Pandemic. (2022, March 10). Global Citizen. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/why-school-meals-are-important-forgirls/
ASEAN Food Security Ensuring the Supply of Rice in the Region. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2023, from https://asean.org/wp-content/uploads/images/2015/October/outreachdocument/Edited%20APTERR-2.pdf