ABSTRACT
This chapter (1) describes the world food situation, (2) examines different forms of poverty, hunger, and malnutrition: their magnitudes, consequences, and how they are measured, and (3) identifies principal causes of and potential solutions to problems with poverty, hunger, and malnutrition in developing countries. On a global level, sufficient food is produced to feed everyone on earth, and the overall food situation has improved significantly over the last 50 years. Some countries, mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa, have seen per capita food production and consumption stagnate during this period, or not increase enough to significantly reduce the number of malnourished. Most of the causes of hunger are related to poverty. Infections, diseases and parasites, poor nutritional practices, and variability in food supplies all contribute to malnutrition. Malnutrition results in reduced physical and mental activity, stunted growth, blindness, anemia, goiter, brain damage, mental anguish, and death. Poverty can be acute, chronic, or seasonal. The rural poor make up about 70 percent of the total poor. Agricultural development can play a significant role in rural and urban poverty reduction. In 2020, the number of extremely poor people in the world rose rapidly due to job losses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
