Hunger and

Malnutrition
International Agricultural Development and Trade
AAEC 3204
George Norton
Agricultural and Applied
Economics,
Virginia Tech
Copyright 2009

Objectives
Discuss world food situation
and nutrition issues
Types of hunger and their effects
Consider how hunger is measured
Identify causes of hunger
Indicate potential solutions to hunger
problems

Major types of hunger?

Famine (short term)

Chronic (800
million people)

Chronic undernourishment
(1999-2001)

Number
Percent (millions)

Asia and Pacific

Sub-Saharan Africa
Latin America & Caribbean

16
33
10

505
198
53

Near East and N. Africa

Countries in transition
(E. Europe and Central
Asia)
All regions

10
8

41
34

17

805

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) in 2004

IFPRI 2020

Effects of Hunger

Child in Niger
Child in India

Which is more severe

in most developing countries:
the shortage of food?
or the imbalance of calories and
protein in the diet?

Daily calorie availability per capita

Source: World Bank

People affected by Preventable

Malnutrition Worldwide
Morbidity
due to
Malnutrition

Estimated
Prevalence of
Morbidity

Group most
affected

Protein and
energy

Underweight

150,000,000

Children

Protein and
energy

Stunted
growth

182,000,000

Children

Anemia

2,000,000,000

Every age and

sex

Blindness

250,000 500,000

Every age and

sex

50,000,000

Every age and

sex

Deficiency

Iron
Vitamin A
Iodine

Brain damage

How is nutritional adequacy

measured?

Anthropometric
measurements
Food balance sheets
Dietary surveys
Aggregate statistics

Food Balance Sheet

(Production & Stocks & Imports
Exports Animal feed Waste) =
Food available for people

What are some principal

causes of hunger and
malnutrition?

Child in Ethiopia

What are some principal causes

of hunger and malnutrition?
Low income
Diseases and
parasites
Poor nutritional
practices
Seasonal nature of
production

Political problems
Natural disasters
Low agricultural
productivity
Transportation
problems

Determinants of individual nutritional status.

Ownership of
productive assets
Agricultural
prices

Incomes

Household food
availability

Cooking technology
and education

Individual
nutrient intake

Intra-household
food distribution

Nutritional
status

Primary health care;

sanitary conditions

Infections and
diseases

How does environmental

degradation contribute to hunger
and malnutrition?

How does hunger and

malnutrition contribute to
environmental degradation?

Solutions to hunger and

malnutrition problems
Income increases
Agricultural
productivity
increases
Population growth
rate decline
Health
improvements

Food intervention
Subsidies
Fortification
Targeted feeding
programs

International
solutions
Debt relief
Price stabilization
Foreign aid

If we ate less meat would that

help the nutritional situation in
developing countries?

Very little if any.

The principal
problem is lack of
income to buy
food

Summary
Chronic hunger is the most
pervasive problem -- 900 million
Effects are particularly hard on
children
Causes are many and solutions are
the subject of this course