Hunger As One of the Major Challenges Facing Humanity Globally: Analytical Essay

One of the major challenges facing humanity globally is hunger and the accessibility of food. It may seem distant to many of us that have always had food easily available, but research shows that it is much closer to home than we may realize. When it is closer to home it makes you more responsible to lend a helping hand. The accessibility of food is a hug problem that needs to be solved.

In politics, humanitarian aid, and social science, hunger is referred to as a condition in which a person, for a sustained period is unable to eat enough food to meet basic nutritional needs. So, in the field of hunger relief, the term hunger is used in a sense that goes beyond the common desire for food that all humans experience. Throughout the history, portions of the world’s population have often suffered sustained periods of hunger. In many cases, hunger resulted from food supply disruptions caused by war, plagues, or adverse weather. Through the decade following world war II, technological progress and enhanced political cooperation suggested in might be possible to substantially reduce the number of people suffering from hunger. While progress was uneven, by 2015 the threat of extreme hunger subsided for many of the world’s population. According to figures percentage of the world’s population, and in absolute terms, with about 821 million afflicted with hunger in 2018. While most of the world’s hungry people live in Asia, India and Africa but we need to realize how close it can be to home.

Through the research that has been conducted, it has shown that Detroit is a place that need some attention when it comes giving back the communities in need. In Detroit the Michigan Department of Agriculture has labeled 19 Detroit neighborhoods as a “food desert,’ which is a term used to describe an urban area that lacks accessibility to quality and affordable food. More than fifty percent of children in Detroit are living below the poverty line (Martelle xiii). “Four million American children experience prolonged periodic food insufficiency and hunger each year”. (Kleinman) Needless to say, poverty and the food insecurity, hunger, and malnutrition that accompanies it is a problem that has and will continue to plague the city of Detroit if we do nothing about it. These problems are in our backyards, affecting our neighbors. Organizations such as Gleaners Community Food Bank are working to fight hunger in our communities to bring our neighbors out of the cycle of poverty and improve the future of our cities. For many people in Detroit, hunger is a year-round struggle. Over one million people in Michigan require emergency food assistance each year. Seventy five percent of these people are food insecure; they are not sure where their next meal will come from. (Mabli 1-4) This food insecurity not only causes physical stress, but also emotional stress. Children defined as “hungry” are more likely to suffer socially, emotionally, and academically. (Kleinman) These children face developmental consequences, they may have difficulty making friends, being able to read, or may have high anxiety levels. (Weinreb) Children from these families are also more likely to experience more medical ailments, such as mineral deficiencies, asthma, and even obesity. (Miller) Sixty percent of children in pediatric wards at Detroit Receiving Hospital are anemic, not due to whatever brought them to the hospital, but because of malnutrition they experience every day. (Kennedy 114) If fifty percent of childrenin Detroit are living below the poverty line, half or more of Detroit’s children face the struggles of hunger and food insecurity. Fifty percent or more of the future of Detroit is deprived of a proper nutrition and in turn they are deprived a chance at proper physical and emotional development, handicapping the next generation of leaders and trailblazers.

This means that it is up to all of us to do are part to make an impact on the lives of the future. As Nita Ambani wons said, “We are living in the 21st century, and children are dying of hunger, so how do we fight it?” this should be the question that we should all be asking our self and corporations. As Benjamin Franklin said,“well done is better than well said”, so this is an appeal to make the step to making this world a better place.