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Essay / Australian foreign aid projects to reduce hunger and poverty
Hunger is defined as short-term physical distress caused by persistent food shortage. People suffering from chronic hunger lack the privilege of accessing nutritious food, often due to food insecurity and poverty. When chronic hunger worsens globally, we speak of global hunger. Hunger can lead to poor nutrition and stunted growth. Food production is sufficient to feed the world's population; However, in 2019, approximately 690 million people suffered from hunger and malnutrition. Countries like Yemen, Chad and Zimbabwe have the highest hunger rates in the world, followed by some South Asian countries like Afghanistan and India. Hunger can have serious consequences on an individual's physical, mental and social health, thereby affecting the health of the entire population. Care Australia and Feed the Future are some foreign aid projects provided by Australia to reduce world hunger. These organizations focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and integrate them with improving primary health care (PHC) of these less developed countries to reduce rates of hunger and poor nutrition. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay The United Nations defines hunger as periods when populations experience severe food insecurity or lack adequate access to food. nutritious and affordable food. Lack of protein and fat mainly causes hunger. Poor nutrition includes undernutrition and overeating; However, world hunger is centered on undernutrition. Undernutrition or malnutrition can be classified into protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) and micronutrient deficiency (WHO, 2020). PEM can be acute, chronic or acute and chronic and is caused by a deficiency of all nutrients, while micronutrient deficiency is caused by a deficiency of specific vitamins and minerals. PEM is the most common type of malnutrition affecting the world's population because proteins and fats are more satiating than carbohydrates. The majority of risk factors affecting hunger include physical, socio-cultural, political and environmental determinants such as poverty, food waste, climate change, job insecurity, wars and conflicts, and instability markets. Poverty is the most important determinant of hunger. In 2015, approximately 736 million people lived below the international poverty line (less than USD 1.90 per day), and 8% of the global working population lived below the poverty line in 2018. 90% of these people did not They did not have the financial means to afford a healthy and nutritious diet and therefore suffered from severe hunger and malnutrition. Food waste is an important sociocultural determinant that affects hunger. The global agricultural system produces approximately 4.18 x 1,017 kJ per year, which is enough to feed approximately 10 billion people. However, because the system produces excess carbohydrates and not enough protein and fat, approximately 690 million people still suffer from hunger worldwide (Hunger Math, 2012). Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, rates of global hunger and poor nutrition have increased, particularly in less developed countries. Before the pandemic, Yemen, Chad and Madagascar had the highest global hunger index in 2019 (45.9, 44.2 and 41.5, respectively). In the Asia-Pacific region, approximately 516.5 millionof people are malnourished, and approximately 239 million malnourished people lived in sub-Saharan Africa. Worldwide, approximately 821.6 million people are considered hungry, malnourished, or both. Climate change is a major environmental determinant that has a significant impact on food security. The main source of food for people in LDCs comes from agriculture; therefore, extreme climatic variations such as droughts and floods can negatively impact the harvest proportion. These changes can result in an insufficient supply of nutritious and safe foods, leading to poor nutrition and overall negative outcomes. Hunger is a chronic disease that has serious consequences on the physical, mental and social dimensions of population health. LDCs. Children in these countries are at higher risk of developmental and growth problems that can occur before birth, during the perinatal period, and during the early years. The devastating consequences on their physical health can persist and last throughout adolescence and adulthood. These include low birth weight, stunted growth, poor cognitive development and malnutrition. Poor development and growth can progress to chronic illnesses such as gastritis, diabetes, stroke and heart disease later in life. Around 734 million people around the world live on less than $1.90 a day, and the majority don't know what their next meal will be. be. This constant worry negatively affects their emotional health, eventually developing into chronic anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research has shown that hunger can also trigger behavioral changes and mood swings, making the individual easily irritable and aggressive. This can make a person emotionally unstable, making it difficult to perform daily tasks effectively. It can also lead to poor decision-making because it hinders their ability to think coherently. Individuals may even become involved in conflicts and violent situations due to the desperate need for food due to extreme famine. This can harm the social health of the individual, as it can destroy and damage their relationships with the people and community around them. Aggression compounded by hunger can cause an individual to act impulsively, further deteriorating their social health. Hunger is a devastating contemporary global health problem, and poverty is one of the important political and sociocultural determinants. This is why both of these have been included in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs include 17 goals aimed at improving the living standards and well-being of the world's population by 2030 (UN, 2020). No Poverty and Zero Hunger are Goals 1 and 2, respectively. Currently, around 10% of the population lives on less than $1.90 per day, and Goal 1 of the SDGs focuses on ending poverty under all its forms by 2030 by explicitly targeting vulnerable communities. These include areas with low resources, affected by natural disasters and conflicts. Reducing global poverty can have a significant positive impact on reducing world hunger. Zero Hunger focuses on eradicating hunger, ensuring food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture. They hope to achieve this using an approach.