Nearly a billion starving
The fact that you’re reading this blog posting means that you have access to the Internet and probably own a computer which by definition puts you in a favourable economic category in world terms, even if your standard of living and perhaps your employment and housing prospects are threatened by the current global financial crisis.
Spare a thought though for those all around the world who are literally starving. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), although food prices have more than halved from their historic peaks a few months ago, the cost of basic staples is still high 28% higher on average than two years ago which has led to an increase in the number of people unable to afford to eat enough calories to lead a normal, active life.
The FAO’s hunger report, “The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2008”, found that there are now estimated to be 963 million people, 14% of the world’s population, going hungry, up by 40 million from last year. The majority of the hungry live in the developing world, 65% of them in just seven countries: India, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Ethiopia.
More information on the FAO report here.