ABSTRACT
As the twentieth century comes to a close, more than two billion people (approximately one-third of human society) suffer from various forms of malnutrition, especially in developing countries in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Laudable international goals and human rights promoted in the later part of the century would, if reached, significantly reduce this number. Sadly, the world is falling far short of reaching these aspirations. Uvin’s analysis in Ch. 1 of the food supply situation is valuable background: although concerns for the future are justified for Sub-Saharan Africa, the continuing problem of malnutrition is not likely to be the result of the collapse of the global food supply. In the main, the larger problems of malnutrition are not explained as the direct result of national food shortages or famines, natural or manmade, although these events occupy the public’s attention. The larger problem is chronic malnutrition, or more exactly undernutrition, the result of persistent income and asset poverty and poor governance that underlies household food insecurity, poor health, and lack of capacity for good quality interpersonal care within households.
