A reappraisal of the extent of world hunger
1981
Poleman, Thomas T.
In light of recent analyses, the world food problem is seen as a cycle of population growth, lack of economic participation, and malnutrition, rather than a simple race between population growth and food supply. It may be that world hunger has been overestimated and food production capacity underestimated. Analytical approaches to determining the extent of food problems have relied on food availability data and per capita nutrient needs; a 50% understatement of food availability has been shown in newly developed agricultural reporting systems. Employment seems to be the key to food access. Few of the burgeoning population will find work in agriculture; the green revolution is dependent on highly specialized techniques and in many cases has had little impact on the world's rural population. Given the political and economic complexities of the problems, many countries will choose to treat the symptoms rather than the causes of poverty. An alternative approach to identifying those in need may be to assess dietary adequacy on the basis of behavior. Within food-deficient households, those most likely to be at risk are infants, and pregnant and lactating women--estimated at 62 to 309 million people. Aid could be channeled through maternal and child health clinics, reaching those most in need with the least disruption to societal structures and production incentives. (cj)
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