Have you ever thought that after each meal, the food waste you dispose of may be someone's most precious wish on another side of the world? World hunger is not about inadequate production of food. On the contrary, in order to feed the entire world population, the world's annual food production of agricultural crops, livestock and even processed food is adequate. Nevertheless, one-third of the food created is wasted.
There are several ways to waste food; it is not just the food that is lost when cooking or the residues that are disposed of after meals. It actually starts as early as harvesting, especially in developing countries where, due to the lack of storage facilities, large quantities of crops often rot. These countries often lack modern technical means and equipment to help protect crops from harvesting, which makes them more susceptible to pests.
The UN has also committed to halving the reduction of world hunger as one of its goals for 2030. However, global hunger is not only due to lack of food or food waste; hungry people still exist even in countries that do not face food shortages. People spend more than 80 percent of their income on food that is often deficient in nutrients in many poor countries that do not suffer food shortages or famines; they are obligated to give up other necessities of life, such as education and health. In addition, they may give up some of their meals when faced with financial hardship, eventually resulting in starvation.
In order to eradicate world hunger, many solutions are proposed; some are simple and some are difficult to implement. Examples that are famous include:
Ending land evisceration: Certain rich countries that do not own much arable land prefer to take advantage of the land that poor countries do not have the resources to cultivate, like Ethiopia, Madagascar and Sudan.
Supporting farmers in developing countries: This is important because the lack of technology and advanced farming techniques is causing severe damage to agricultural crops. Because of the previously stated reasons, research has shown that African farmers are less productive than American counterparts. As such, it is crucial to encourage or financially support these farmers through workshops to tackle modern farming and storage techniques in order to purchase the necessary tools to increase productivity and control agricultural pests.
Raising awareness of food waste: It begins with parents teaching their kids to feed and not waste moderate amounts of food. The leftover food in the community, orphanages, or charitable societies can be packed and distributed to the needy. Awareness programs targeting residents may be coordinated on a broader scale, including ads highlighting the harmful effects of food waste on local and foreign populations. Ideas on how to put an end to food waste and distribute it to those in need may also be proposed.
Supporting women in poor countries: teaching women how to create certain handicrafts will help them increase their income and provide themselves and their children with better food. Women should also be helped to protect their children from hunger and food shortages that are highly nutritious.
We should not wait for action on hunger and food waste by international organisations and governments; we must start with ourselves, putting an end to wasting food in our own homes as a meaningful step towards eradicating world hunger.