Keeping Hunger in Mind

Anatomically modern humans have been fighting nature for around 200,000 years, so the idea of having enough for everybody probably seems inconceivable to quite a few people, especially since one influential fraternity of theorists posits that life is supposed to be brutal for a majority due to an inexorable form of economic Darwinism, for lack of a better phrase. In this model, a tiny minority gets a whole lot while nearly everyone else mostly just suffers and then dies miserably and unceremoniously, leading to a better-adapted species.

Nevertheless, for the first time in human history, there is no physical reason for hunger to continue on such a massive scale, at least in terms of capability. The world has finally reached the point where it now produces enough food to provide everyone with an adequate caloric intake every day. Unfortunately, making this happen will prove to be a daunting challenge given the mechanics of poverty. Skewed income distribution, military and cultural conflicts, natural disasters, inefficient agricultural production practices, unstable markets, food wastage, and other factors spell continued misery for a staggeringly large and ever-growing number of unfortunate people. Of course, the weakest usually suffer the most. Five million children die every year due specifically to malnutrition, and the number is around twice that for child deaths due to symptoms related to malnutrition.

Developing more effective food production systems and creating better access and availability to nutritious diets and health services for those who need them would go far in solving the problem, but this is easier said than done. Hunger is broadly systemic, and too many people in positions of power fail to implement practical remedies due to ignorance, indifference, political cowardice, or sociopathic tendencies. Regardless, those willing to change these circumstances for the better should push this conversation to the forefront of public discourse while maintaining a positive attitude. They should then engage in short- and long-term actions that alleviate hunger.