Describing the problem: hunger and malnutrition

Severe hunger episodes, such as famines, receive considerable press coverage and attract public attention. But chronic hunger and malnutrition are considerably more prevalent. At least 12 million low-birth-weight (LBW) births occur per year and around 162 million pre-school children and almost a billion people of all ages are malnourished. In poorly nourished populations, reductions in hunger and improved nutrition convey considerable productivity gains and save resources that otherwise would be used for the care of malnourished people who are more susceptible to infectious diseases and premature mortality. It is these potential gains in productivity and reductions in economic costs that provide the focus of this chapter.

Hunger

This is the “condition, in which people lack the basic food intake to provide them with the energy and nutrients for fully productive lives” (Hunger Task Force, 2004, p. 33). It is measured in terms of calories relative to requirements that vary by age, sex and activities. The most widely cited data on hunger come from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). FAO (2003) estimates that over the last decade, the number of people undernourished in the developing world declined slightly from 816 to 798 million, or from 20 to 17% of the population. Two regions, Asia and the Pacific and sub-Saharan Africa account for nearly 90% of the world's hungry. However, in Asia, both the number (505 million) and prevalence of undernourishment fell during the 1990s in contrast to increases in Africa (198 million).