The Eradication of World Hunger
The world is heating up. The Amazon is dying. The ice caps are melting. Animals are becoming extinct. All of these are headlines we have heard repeatedly on the news like a broken recorder. We have been lectured by our teachers, parents, peers, and sometimes even strangers. It has come to a point where we have been desensitized to them. However, one issue that has been overlooked is world hunger. It used to be shoved down peoples throats before just as climate change is now, but this is no longer the case. Many have forgotten it. It's a mere memory of an old nightmare. The reality is that humans are far from eradicating hunger.
According to the World Food Programme, 795 people do not have enough food for a healthy, active lifestyle. On the other hand, a third of the world's food is wasted. This all sums up to 1.3 billion tons of perfectly good food lost (UN Environmental Programme). Clearly, the issue at hand is not a lack of food, but a misallocation of it. Its basic economics. We have appropriately allocated out resources to maximize profit. The profit, in this case, is the food security for all human beings on Earth.
To accomplish this goal, simple steps can be made which would ensure plentiful food for everyone. I'm not saying that we have to live in a communist society where everyone has food rationed equally among everybody. This simply is not tangible and would cause a global outcry. One way government can help by giving subsidies to local farmers and agricultural companies. This helps out both local communities by creating jobs, promotes agriculture in the nation, and as a result feeds the people in that area. This also reduces prices of food because there is no import tax on products. A way regular citizens can help is by donating food to impoverished areas where food security is none-existent. Another way is to bring awareness to the importance of education. If children stay in school and graduate, they have a better chance at receiving higher incomes and a better life. This combats both poverty and world hunger.
These are just a few ways to achieve zero hunger. There are many other ways that anyone can help out. If everyone joins in this issue, world hunger can be eliminated. Are you up for the task?
SOURCES:
https://www.wfp.org/hunger/stats
http://www.unep.org/wed/2013/quickfacts/
http://borgenproject.org/10-ways-stop-world-hunger/
According to the World Food Programme, 795 people do not have enough food for a healthy, active lifestyle. On the other hand, a third of the world's food is wasted. This all sums up to 1.3 billion tons of perfectly good food lost (UN Environmental Programme). Clearly, the issue at hand is not a lack of food, but a misallocation of it. Its basic economics. We have appropriately allocated out resources to maximize profit. The profit, in this case, is the food security for all human beings on Earth.
To accomplish this goal, simple steps can be made which would ensure plentiful food for everyone. I'm not saying that we have to live in a communist society where everyone has food rationed equally among everybody. This simply is not tangible and would cause a global outcry. One way government can help by giving subsidies to local farmers and agricultural companies. This helps out both local communities by creating jobs, promotes agriculture in the nation, and as a result feeds the people in that area. This also reduces prices of food because there is no import tax on products. A way regular citizens can help is by donating food to impoverished areas where food security is none-existent. Another way is to bring awareness to the importance of education. If children stay in school and graduate, they have a better chance at receiving higher incomes and a better life. This combats both poverty and world hunger.
These are just a few ways to achieve zero hunger. There are many other ways that anyone can help out. If everyone joins in this issue, world hunger can be eliminated. Are you up for the task?
SOURCES:
https://www.wfp.org/hunger/stats
http://www.unep.org/wed/2013/quickfacts/
http://borgenproject.org/10-ways-stop-world-hunger/
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