A Growing Hunger
Asian Development Bank | June 2010
Abstract
Perhaps no issue casts a harsher light on social inequities than the growing number of people who go hungry everyday.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), more people go hungry in the world today than at any time since 1970. An estimated 1.02 billion people were undernourished worldwide in 2009, 642 million of whom lived in Asia and the Pacific, the FAO reports.
Access to food - or food security - has become an issue that no one can ignore; the lives of millions and the stability of governments depend on shrewd management of food supplies. As the riots and hoarding during the food crisis in 2008 have shown, the mere mention of a shortage is enough to destabilize markets and even governments.
As usual, the poorest have been hit the hardest: they have faced rising food prices while the global economic crisis has battered their incomes. Declining crop yields, land degradation, urbanization, and the effects of climate change are putting additional pressure on efforts to produce more food. Market speculation makes the situation even more precarious.
This edition of Development Asia tackles this critical issue from varied perspectives - from the points of view of science, civil society, and business. As its cover story, A Growing Hunger, puts it, there is no quick, one-size-fits-all solution, especially for a region as geographically diverse as Asia and the Pacific. Building consensus is a huge, ongoing challenge for leaders, decision makers, and stakeholders in the region as they wrestle with conflicting priorities.
In The Hunger Monger, renowned financier Jim Rogers, an outspoken advocate of agricultural investments, acknowledges that food security is a highly emotional and political issue. He gives a candid interview on the perceived tension between business interests and social needs, and domestic and international concerns.
Citation
Asian Development Bank. 2010. A Growing Hunger. http://hdl.handle.net/11540/1344. License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.ISSN
1998-7528
Keywords
WaterAccess To Water
Available Water
Water Resources Development
Demand For Water
Drinking Water
Drinking Water And Sanitation
Development Challenges
Development Issues
Rural Development
Rural Development Projects
Rural Development Research
Sustainable Development
Underdevelopment
Primary Energy
Health, Education, Water
Human Right To Water
Potable Water
Quality Of Water
Right To Water
Rural Water Supply
Safe Water
Water And Sanitation, Electricity
Rural areas
Rural planning
Rural poverty
Development assistance
Aid in kind
Standard of living
Strategic planning
Development strategy
Energy Resources
Energy crisis
Energy Demand
Energy Supply
Water Shortage
Energy development
Power supply
Economic development projects
Human rights and globalization
Developing countries
Community development
Water
Drinking water protection
Water-supply
Freshwater quality
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