A recently released report by several UN agencies shows that the number of hungry people has declined despite rise in population. It was one billion about 25 years ago and is about 795 million today. In the developing world 23.3% of the population was hungry 25 years ago. Today it is 12.9%. Progress is more pronounced in East Asia, Southeast and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. The reasons for the success are attributed to stable political conditions and economic growth. The report does not omit failures, mainly in Africa where in some areas
more than one in three people remain hungry and the reasons for the failures can easily be surmised, extreme weather, natural disasters, political instability and civil strife.
We so often feel disheartened about the state of the world. We hear or read about the news and wonder if things are getting worse. And so 200 less million hungry people in the world hopefully serves to make us think that things may not be as bad as we may sometimes feel they are. It is more than a statistic, besides the lives and conditions of these millions, the report speaks to the many agencies, organizations, NGOs who work to make it happen, and of course the hundreds, if not thousands of people it took to bring that about. As long as we care whether or not there is hunger in the world, and whether the numbers diminish, there has to be hope for all of us and for the planet.
Thanks, Danielle, There is still so much to do regarding climate change, endangered species. dark money in politics, racism and more, so it is indeed heartening to
know that there are less hungry people on the planet, than a few decades ago.
It also makes us realize that each individual effort to help the whole does really help.
Wonderfully stated, Danielle! We have just been to the EXPO Milan 2015 (in Italy), and have seen pavilions from all over the world that are addressing the issues of “Feeding the Planet” in hundreds of different ways. It was inspiring….And the United Nations had a wonderful pavilion that brought out all the issues in a very immediate way using total surround projection, huge vessels that can store food, large models of distribution possibilities, etc. etc. I am glad to know that people around the world are aware of the issues—even though more can be done about it. YES, it is heartening to know that there are less hungry people on the planet than a few decades ago. Thank you.