World Hunger Day & Earthquake and its impact as I see it

Presented by Sanjaya Kunwar, B.Tech(3rd Year)

Pokhara Bigyan Tatha Prabidhi Campus Pokhara,Nayabazar Lankysanjaya@gmai.com

HUNGER

For most people in developed countries being hungry is the uncomfortable feeling you get if we skip meal.But it’s very diffeerent if you’re one of the hundred of millions who don’t get enough to eat every single day .Being malnourished means you don’t have strength even to do the simplest task.Hunger makes you weak,tired and unable to

concentrate.So here term food security is introduced as FAO defines it as :A situation that

exists when people lack secure access to sufficient amount of safe & nutritious food for

normal growth & development and an active and healthy life.

For people across the world food insecurity and hunger last all day,every day,year in,year out .They have insufficient food to be active and healthy and they don’t get all the vitamins and minerals the body needs to function well.This leads to temporary or permanent damage to their health.

On average, a person needs 1800 Kcal per day as a minimum energy intake.If you don’t get that you are likely to be suffering from chronic hunger and the human body will start to feed on itself:fat,muscle,tissue and finally the organs.Death is inevitable although many starving people actually die from hunger related diseases.Young and aged ones are more prone.

Causes Of HungerThe world produces enough to feed the entire global

population of 7 billion people. And yet, one person in eight on the planet goes to bed hungry each night. In some countries, one child in three is underweight Hunger is just more than lack of food.Factors like poverty,natural disaster,conflict,poor agriculture,waste of food and many more could lead to starvation.Apart from hunger resulting from empty stomach there is also the hidden hunger of the micro nutrient deficiencies which make people susceptible to infectious diseases,impair physical and mental develepoment,reduce their labour productivity and increase the risk of premature death.The right food at right time means more than just filing the bellies

World Hunger Day805 million, one eighth of the world’s

population live in chronic hunger globally and exist on less than $1 a day.Hunger kills more people than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.Of the millions of people who live in hunger and poverty, 10 percent are suffering from famine or from the high profile emergency crises. Chronic, persistent hunger is not due merely to lack of food. It occurs when people lack opportunity to earn enough income, to be educated and gain skills, to meet basic health needs and have a voice in the decisions that affect their community.

World Hunger Day is about raising awareness of this situation. It is also about celebrating the achievements of millions of people who are already ending their own hunger and meeting their basic needs. World Hunger Day seeks to inspire people in both the developed and developing worlds to show their solidarity and support to enable many more to end their own hunger and poverty and make the journey to self-reliance.Additionally,World Hunger Day will encourage even more organisations to work in partnership with each other and with the women, men and children in the developing world who seek to bring about a sustainable end to their own hunger and poverty.

War Against Hunger

About 805 million people in the world, or one in nine, suffer from hunger, according to a new UN report .In Sub-Saharan Africa, more than one in four people remain chronically undernourished, while Asia, the world's most populous region, is also home to the majority of the hungry - 526 million people. If we truly wish to create a world free from poverty and hunger, then we must make it a priority to invest in the rural areas of developing countries where most of the world's poorest and hungriest people

live.We must work to create a transformation in our rural communities so they provide decent jobs, decent conditions and decent opportunities. We must invest in rural areas so that our nations can have balanced growth and so that the three billion people who live in rural areas can fulfil their potential.Men, women and children need nutritious food every day to have any chance of a free and prosperous future. Healthy bodies and minds are fundamental to both individual and economic growth, and that growth must be inclusive for us to make hunger history.

While there is no one-size-fits-all solution for how to improve food security, the SOFI report outlines several factors that played a critical role in achieving the hunger target.

First, improved agricultural productivity, especially by small and family farmers, leads to important gains in hunger and poverty reduction. High performers on that front in Africa met the MDG hunger target while those that made slower progress did not.

Second, while economic growth is always beneficial, not least because it expands the fiscal revenue base necessary to fund social transfers and other assistance programmes, it needs to be inclusive to help reduce hunger. Inclusive growth provides a proven avenue for those with fewer assets and skills in boosting their incomes, and providing them the resilience they need to weather natural and man-made shocks. Raising the productivity of family farmers is an effective way out of poverty and hunger.

Third, the expansion of social protection – often cash transfers to vulnerable households, but also food vouchers, health insurance or school meal programs, perhaps linked to guaranteed procurement contracts with local farmers - correlated strongly with progress in hunger reduction and in assuring that all members of society have the healthy nutrition to pursue productive lives.

Earthquake and its impact in food

An earthquake of magnitude 7.8 (Mw) on the Richter Scale, the worst the country has experienced in 80 years, struck on 25 April.Dozens of aftershocks followed, with magnitudes ranging between 4.5 and 6.7 (Mw).Latest estimates indicate that some 39 out of the country’s 75 districts have been affected, of which 11 are reported to have incurred severe damages.The earthquake caused severe damage to housing, infrastructure, including hospitals, schools roads and bridges. Large numbers of vulnerable population in the mountain and hilly areas have remained isolated. Internal trade, including the movement of emergency assistance is severely constrained. The food security situation of the affected population is adversely impacted by the difficulties to access to food. The impacts on food security and agricultural livelihoods are expected to be very high.

The two recent earthquakes in Nepal have had a major impact on food security and agricultural livelihoods. Around two-thirds of Nepalese depend on agriculture for their livelihood – many at a subsistence level. Affected families have lost livestock, standing crops, seed stores, agricultural implements and more. Market disruptions have constrained the movement of agricultural products.Most marketing activities are severely disrupted,hampering access to food.Stored food, seed stocks, storage facilities, livestock, fisheries, irrigation and other livelihood assets are damaged/lost.Farmers were harvesting wheat, planting maize and approaching the rice planting season when the earthquakes hit.Wheat and maize crops in the mountain and hill areas are likely to be most affected due to landslides and disruption

Nepal is one among the few countries in the world that incorporate the "right to food" in its Constitution. The Constitution has adopted "food sovereignty" as a fundamental right of people. One in four people in Nepal lives below the national poverty line - which is just US$50 cents per day - so many struggle to feed themselves and their families. Nepal’s vulnerability to high food prices, especially in remote mountain areas, drives hunger . Average food prices in the mountain and hill regions are over 100 percent higher than in other locations.In Nepal, approximately 5 million people are undernourished. 41 percent of children under five are stunted - short for their age - and 29 percent are underweight .70 percent of the population work the land for a living and agriculture accounts for more than a third of the country’s economic output. Agricultural production is not keeping pace with population growth - and frequent natural disasters are a constant threat to livelihoods.The average yearly earning of a person in Nepal is US$ 707 and the country ranks 145 out of 187 on the 2014 UNDP Human Development Index. The country launched the initiative to eradicate hunger by 2025

Paddy cultivation to start from late May to early June: 122 507 hectares of paddy cultivation areas have been affected in 14 districts. The gross paddy seed requirement is around 6 125 tonnes for the 14 districts, including 2 910 tonnes for the six most severely affected districts.Millet to be planted in late June and July: 93,941 hectares of millet cultivation areas have been affected in 14 districts. Considering the loss of seed stock from collapsed homes, the gross millet seed requirement will be around 939 tonnes for the 14 districts, including 482 tonnes for the six severely affected districts.Maize already planted, around 50 days old: 157 525 hectares of maize crop have been affected

What Could Be Done Super grain bags to reduce post-harvest losses: With the

monsoon approaching in June, farming families urgently need the means to protect seeds and food grains for wheat, maize, millet and rice, now and in the next three months. Super grain storage bags are needed for 14 districts.

Livestock shelter, feed and fodder to protect important remaining assets: Affected communities have lost bullocks and milking stock animals thus increasing labour requirements and reducing farm incomes. They urgently need temporary shelter, feed concentrate and forage seeds to maintain animal health and prevent disease.Veterinary medicines to keep animals healthy and productive: Animal carcass removal has been a priority. Surviving animals – weakened from injury and feed shortages – urgently need veterinary care such as deworming and vaccinations.Restocking livestock to help rebuild food security: Artificial insemination and restocking of animals (breeding bucks/nanies, bulls/cows, buffaloes, pigs and pullets) are critical to conserve indigenous breeds that are resilient to stresses and shocks.

Chemical fertilizer, although low, to increase yields: An estimated 125 000 tonnes could be used in 14 districts.Farming families also need support to replace damaged farming implements for tending their land and crops, and to rebuild infrastructure such as livestock shelters, irrigation and rainbow trout fisheries.Supporting government and partners to protect food security.We should support government-led efforts to rapidly restore rural livelihoods and food production in Nepal, providing technical guidance, coordination support and direct assistance to affected families

As being a food technology undergrad we should be creating awareness about foodborne diseases,food poisoning and dietary intake and nutritional value of indigenous food and locally available food too.

Thank You