Over one billion people now inhabit planet Earth, and a higher proportion of them are facing hunger than ever before. The issue is not merely that there isn't enough food to feed this individuals, but that the available food is not affordable or accessible. This prevalent issue is described by Stephen Scanlan, Craig Jenkins, and Lindsey Peterson in "The Scarcity Fallacy." Although we are now producing more food than ever before, barriers such as inequality, and political and economic instability prevent people from gratifying the most basic need of satisfying their hunger.
The availability of food has outpaced even the most rapid expansion of human population that our world has ever seen, but yet, people still are not receiving the food they require. In order to provide access to this food, it must be distributed more equitably. 96 percent of people who are hungry live in developing countries, providing a clear link between poverty and hunger. Gender,ethnicity, and race are other inequalities that have considerably contributed to the amount of hunger in the world. In order to solve the issue of hunger, we need to focus our attention on the underlying issues that surround hunger rather than the amount of food that is available. Food must be viewed as a human right, and should therefore be distributed to everyone, no matter their background.
Although increasing food yields and new technologies that allow food to be shipped more efficiently are now available, more food for more people is not necessarily guaranteed. This seems to fit in with all of the contradictions surrounding food in society. We have a greater proportion of obese individuals, but also a growing number of people with anorexia and other eating disorders. We have better technology and more food, but more people are hungry. How do we find a balance in society that will provide for food security and eliminate all of these contradictions? It's easy to say food is a human right, but how can we really create a more equitable society where food is ensured for everyone?
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Naomi,
ReplyDeleteI think that the key to ensure that there is more equality in food distribution is education - People need to become educated about the fact that there is more than enough food but it is what they do with it that effects others. If people became more educated, there would be less social inequality, more acceptance, which would improve the social impact on food.