Running head: The Global Effects of Poverty on Nutrition

The Global Effects of Poverty on Nutrition

Kerene Phillips-Ross

Delaware Technical Community College

NUR 310
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The Global Effects of Poverty on Nutrition

Many people across the globe suffer daily from extreme poverty, malnutrition ,and its

adverse effect on overall health. Poverty is defined as a condition where people's basic needs for

food, clothing, and shelter are not being met. In 1995, the United Nations placed poverty into

two different categories which are overall poverty and absolute poverty ( Mack,2016). Overall

poverty is "lack of income and productive resources to ensure sustainable livelihoods, hunger

and malnutrition, ill health, limited or lack of access to education and other basic services,

increased morbidity and mortality from illness, homelessness and inadequate housing, unsafe

environments and social discrimination and exclusion".( Mack, 2016).

Absolute Poverty is defined as, "a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic

human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education,

and information" Those in absolute poverty has an income of less than less than $1.25 a day

( Mack, 2016).

Haiti is the poorest country in the world. In January 2010, Haiti was struck by a

catastrophic magnitude 7.0M earthquake. This catastrophic Complex Humanitarian Emergency

affected ten of thousands of Haitian citizens. Many homes were destroyed which left many

people homeless and in dire need of food and clean water. This devastating natural disaster left

an already impoverished nation in great need of help and resources. Sadly before the earthquake

hit, 1.9 million Haitian citizens were in need of food assistance. Haitian citizens struggle with

poverty daily. About 60 percent of the Haitian population lives on less than $1.00 a day. As a
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result, malnutrition and anemia run rampant. Haiti has a poverty rate of 77 %; it is the third

hungriest country in the world. (Evans, 2015

Poverty is the fundamental cause of hunger and malnutrition. The United Nations

announced that by July 2017, "more than 20 million people in Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria

and Yemen risk death by starvation" (Sile, 2017) According to the United Nations, about 795

million people are estimated to be undernourished, across the globe. More than 90 million

children under age five are still undernourished and underweight.

The Millennium Development Goal to eradicate hunger is first on a list of eight goals.

The goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger sets three targets which aim to:

Half the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day.

Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women

and youth.

Half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.

Famine is defined as a widespread scarcity of food. Famine is "declared after three

specific criteria are met: when one in five households in a certain area face extreme food

shortages, more than 30 percent of the population is acutely malnourished, and at least two

people for every 10,000 die each day" (Sengupta, 2017). The United Nations reported that "20

million people are on the brink of famine, including 1.4 million children at imminent risk of

death" (Sengupta, 2017)

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One of the leading countries suffering from famine is South Sudan. Sudan's famine crisis

is not only due to poverty but also a devastating civil war. In March 2017 the United Nations

announced that "In South Sudan, 100,000 people are affected by famine in a part of the country

that is most troubled by the fighting between two warring armies." (Sengupta, 2017)

"According to the U.N., the greatest humanitarian crisis since 1945 is unfolding in South

Sudan. The U.N. declared a famine in two parts of the country and warned that nearly half the

population is in urgent need of food assistance."(Beaubien, 2016). What is being done to bring

forth change?

The United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization, reported in 2016 that the

adverse effects of climate change would also impact and affect agriculture (Sile, 2017).

Though the efforts to affect change in global poverty and nutrition seem futile, many

active milestones have been reached. The United Nations reported that in Eastern Sudan the

Government and humanitarian partners have stepped up their treatment of children suffering

from severe malnutrition. "The number of under-fives treated has increased from 27,000 children

in 2009 to 102,000 children in 2012 and an estimated 132,000 in 2013."

There is hope, according to Dustin Green, who wrote the article, 'Ending World Hunger is

Entirely Possible'-so why hasn't it been done, ending world hunger is very possible, this is

because there is not a global food shortage, there is just a problem in the allocation or resources

(green, 2012).

In summary, the demand for food continues to swell with global population projected to

grow by another 2 billion by 2020. " (Sile, 2017). Many people across the globe suffer daily from

extreme poverty, malnutrition, which very negatively affect their overall health. Though many

efforts have being made to combat the effects of poverty and eradicate hunger so much more can
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and need to be done. A good place to start is to inform the public of ways they can help. No one

should have to live in poverty.

The Global Effects of Poverty on Nutrition

References

Sudan: fighting the double burden of child malnutrition. (2013, December 10). Retrieved March
25, 2017, from http://www.unocha.org/top-stories/all-stories/eastern-sudan-fighting-double-
burden-child-malnutrition

UN launches web-based guide to help combat all forms of malnutrition. (n.d.). Retrieved
March23,2017,from http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?
NewsID=39268&Cr=nutrition&Cr1=%23.WNhSRpJjA4A#.WNjdnbCguM8

Evans, C. (2015). Top 5 Facts about Poverty in Haiti . The Borgen Project. Retrieved
March 23, 2017, from https://borgenproject.org/top-five-facts-about-
poverty-in-haiti/.

Sengupta, S. (2017, February 22). Why 20 Million People Are on Brink of Famine in a World of Plenty.
Retrieved April 19, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/world/africa/why-20-million-
people-are-on-brink-of-famine-in-a-world-of-plenty.html?_r=0

Sile,A.W.(2017,April18).Thisfundamentalglobalproblemtoucheseverythingfromfarmingtotechnology.
RetrievedApril19,2017,fromhttp://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/18/thisfundamentalglobalproblemtouches
everythingfromfarmingtotechnology.html

Beaubien, J. (2017, March 14). Why The Famine In South Sudan Keeps Getting Worse.
Retrieved April 19, 2017, from
http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/03/14/520033701/why-the-famine-in-south-
sudan-keeps-getting-worse