Hunger: The Role Of Hunger In America

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Out of the 6 billion people living on earth, roughly half are affected by hunger, and 1 billion face chronic hunger. Its important to realize that very few people die of starvation. Instead, with a lack of food they become malnourished and their immune system weakens, leaving them open to deadly diseases. It is estimated by the United Nations that around 18,000 children die everyday due to malnutrition. The reason why so many people are starving definitely isn’t because there isn’t enough food being produced. In America alone, 35 million people are living in food insecure homes, even though America has more than enough food to support its entire population. Capitalism is partially to blame in America, since the the poor aren’t entitled to anything, …show more content…

In the US and some European countries, petroleum prices began to rise, so the government responded by offering farmers subsidies for growing plants to be used as biofuels. Corn was used to create ethanol, and soybeans were used to make diesel fuel. When this happened, the agriculture grown for biofuels started to compete with agriculture grown for food, which led to an increase of corn, wheat, and soybean prices. Around 2008, the prices of sixty agricultural products raised 37%. This rise in agricultural products did not sit well with countries that rely heavily on bought food, like China and India. These places consume large amounts of meat, and the livestock that they eat is normally fed with agricultural products, which means that raised agricultural prices means raised meat prices.Soon after this happened, food riots began to break out all over the globe. In three cities in the West African nation of Burkina Faso, rioters broke out and burned government buildings, and looted stores. Before this food crisis outbreak happened, the idea that the world would run out of food seemed crazy, but now, certain countries are in fear of it. The places that were hardest hit restricted their exported food in fear that their citizens would all starve. With this normally exported food being restricted, the places that it would normally be shipped to, feel the effect of not having it. The food crisis has reached all over the globe, but it started with agriculture in the US being grown for

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