Wendyunplugged

The Root Cause of Hunger and Poverty
June 2008
Author: Ramon Ayco




Hunger is everywhere in the world, not only in the poorest countries where the poorest people live but also up to the wealthiest nations where the world’s richest people resides. There might be many causes of hunger, but undoubtedly there is only one principal cause, and that is poverty. People are hungry because they cannot afford to buy foods even though there are plenty of these around.



Different people gave different opinions regarding the causes of poverty, but not all of these are real, some are only myths. If we trace in history the root cause of poverty, we will surely find out that poverty started when the system of society base on exploitation and oppression of human to human began. And from that, we will find out that the number one root cause of today’s worldwide poverty is the world capitalist system in its highest stage, imperialism.



Ten years after the 1996 Rome World Food Summit (WFS), the number of undernourished people in the world remains stubbornly high, said the 2006 report of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. In 2001–03, FAO estimates there were still 854 million undernourished people worldwide[1]: 9 million in the industrialized countries,[2] 25 million in the transition countries, and 820 million in the developing countries. Of the latter’s 820 million people: 212 million live in India; 206.2 million live in Sub-Saharan Africa; 524 million live in Asia and the Pacific; 52.4 million live in Latin America and the Caribbean; and 37.6 million live in the Near East and North Africa.



In the developing countries, out of 5.1 billion people (approx.)[3] or 3/4 of world population: 1 billion people live on less than $1/day; 146 million children under age 5 are underweight; 10.1 million children under age 5 die every year, over half of hunger-related causes; 1 in 6 people is hungry; 1 in 6 people lacks safe drinking water.



In the United States, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that in 2006:



* 35.5 million people lived in households considered to be food insecure.
* Of these 35.5 million, 22.9 million are adults (10.4 percent of all adults) and 12.6 million are children (17.2 percent of all children).
* The number of people in the worst-off households increased to 11.1 from 10.8 in 2005. This increase in the number of people in the worst-off category is consistent with other studies and the Census Bureau poverty data, which show worsening conditions for the poorest Americans.
* Black (21.8 percent) and Hispanic (19.5 percent) households experienced food insecurity at far higher rates than the national average.
* The ten states with the highest food insecurity rates in 2006 were Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Arizona.



Nearly half of those lining up outside soup kitchens in the United States (U.S.) have one or more family members employed, but most of them are simply too poor to buy food. They are the people who scavenge in dumpsters outside restaurants. They’re the schoolchildren who cannot pay attention in class because they did not have dinner or breakfast.



According to the United Nations (UN) the number of chronically hungry people worldwide is growing by an average of four million per year at current trends, and about 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes.

Read more: http://knol.google.com/k/the-root-cause-of-hunger-and-poverty#



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My REACTION.


Poverty and Hungriness of the people is one of the basic issue of the society. this Issue is always been talked by others. but still in our country instead of decreasing it. it is now in severe situation.




we are been counted in the most Wonderful country in world but what’s the use of that money which it can't provide the basic needs of human. Our government is always saying that they focus on the needs of people. Just because majority of the Children who our now starving are from a poor families “Poverty”. poverty also is another issue of economics. But the root of this Issue is the poverty. Those parents who are Jobless, unemployed or did not have a degree. What does our government do? Some of the government officers are also corrupting the funds for these pity children.
These poor child need to earn for his own food he/she never knows that even they will get a food to eat in a day. And government shooting educate children but how can hungry children get an education.. Most important thing is to have food to service in this world not only education here in Philippines we have a million of currency/ budget but what is the use of this money where children/families in our country are starving., and slowly dying due to lack of foods. What’s the use of the money? Is it only for those who are in the higher salary? To those people who corrupted them? Why?! Seeing these poor Families, children who have no, permanent house, permanent Job, permanent basic needs? Then what’s the use now of the funds? Where we cannot save those families/children who are affected by these issue.

I did realize something. I can say that I’m lucky; I ate 3 times or more than a day. And sometimes we have left over foods. And threw it at the canal, not even knowing others are craving for money to buy foods. Specially now in our country, all of the products e.g. foods, cloths, water and all other things are rising their price. How can these poor people afford this kind of needs?
for now. the only thing that we can do is to oblige our-self and to open our minds. that even if our government are helping but in a short-run way. We can also make this thing possible, in an individual way an temporary help to those who needs our help and pray for them and support that this world can change if we have the faith, and let's not just say it but we should do it in act. :) FIGHTING !