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Extreme Poverty and Hunger: A Vicious Cycle

There’s no way around it: If we want to end poverty, we have to end hunger.

Oct 25, 2022

There’s no way around it: If we want to end poverty, we have to end hunger. Here's how the two are connected.

Somalia is one country that sits high on both lists. The country’s rural northern region is home to Nimco, a young mother of six children. The worst drought to hit the Horn of Africa in 40 years has turned the pastoralist landscape of Nimco’s village into a dust bowl. The soil is parched, and any remaining animals are thin and weak. All surface water sources have dried up. Since May of 2022, the community has been decimated: Those with the means left months ago.

Nimco and her four children are among those who stayed, though this was not out of pride or sentimentality. They simply couldn’t afford to leave. Nimco’s husband went off with their few remaining sheep and goats to find water and pasture in other regions. Unfortunately, Nimco — unlike some of the other families in her village — doesn’t have a relative in the city who can help her with buying the bare necessities.

“It was a very difficult situation,” she explains. “We couldn’t afford to buy water or food, and we couldn’t pay our debt.” The combination of poverty and hunger trapped them in a cycle from which they struggle to escape.

Poverty and Hunger: Fast Facts

• According to the World Food Program , as many as 828 million people were affected by hunger in 2021 — a 22% increase from 2019 driven largely by the COVID-19 pandemic.
•  In most countries, malnutrition is highest among the poorest 20% of residents.
• In 2020 (the most recent data in 2022), the World Health Organization estimates that 149.2 million children under 5 — about 22% of the population — were stunted .
• The WHO also estimates that, in the same year 45 million children suffered from wasting
• Approximately 45% of child deaths are linked to undernutrition. The majority of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
• The WFP estimates that, in 2020, 3.1 billion people could not afford a healthy diet. This represents a 112 million-person increase from 2019.
• The WFP projects that, by 2030, nearly 670 million people (8% of the global population) will still be hungry, despite the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by that year.

Learn More About Our Fight to End Poverty and Hunger

What causes world hunger.

Hunger is something we’ve all experienced for a variety of reasons. But when we break down hunger into issues like malnutrition, undernutrition, or specific deficiencies (like Vitamin A or Iron), we can more easily measure and design solutions to hunger that work .

That said, there are many causes of world hunger . To narrow things down a bit, we can put these causes into one of two larger categories: physiological causes and poverty-related causes.

Physiological Causes of Hunger

At certain points in our lives, we need more food and nutrients. The first 1,000 days of childhood are crucial for the right amount of nutrients to ensure that we continue developing to our full potential. When puberty hits and we reach adolescence, we go through another phase. For pregnant people, that need once again crops up.

While these life cycles aren’t “bad,” they are causes of hunger in that our nutritional needs increase in this time. Mothers like Nimco often face tough decisions during their pregnancies.

Poverty-Related Causes of Hunger

That’s because of the millions of parents who face restricted resources and are unable to meet their most basic needs. Nimco, for instance, had relied on credit from local shops to feed her young family. As her debts accumulated, however, the shops stopped selling to her.

Both Hunger and Poverty Can Be Intergenerational

Generally, stories like Nimco’s don’t happen out of thin air. The cycle of poverty often runs from one generation to the next, with children born into poverty more likely to live in the same cycle as their parents if there is no intervention. Likewise, hunger and malnutrition can be intergenerational.

Malnourished mothers are also more likely to give birth to malnourished infants. About 20% of stunting in children is attributed to malnutrition in the womb as a result of maternal undernutrition. This means even children who manage to survive being born to malnourished mothers are still less likely to reach their physical and cognitive potential in life.

Furthermore, many of the poverty-related causes of malnutrition, such as food insecurity or poor access to health services, endure for multiple generations of the same family or community.

How Does Poverty Affect Hunger?

Issues relating to hunger can go hand-in-hand with poverty — particularly climate change , conflict , and forced migration . However, all of these situations usually boil down to three key issues. This is a framework Concern uses, one that was developed by UNICEF:

Poor or No Access To A Quality Diet

In some cases, the question is simply whether people can find anything to eat. There is already an overlap of countries experiencing both high levels of poverty and hunger. The human cost of a food shortage will hit on this overlap, leaving those furthest behind with the fewest options in a situation of low supply and high demand.

In South Sudan , people fleeing war have described eating water lilies to survive. In Haiti , a common recipe in areas that face food shortages is bonbon tè, which are cookies made with a special dirt mixed with salt, fat, and water. Pastoralists in drought-struck northern Kenya boil animal hides.

However, even in less dire straits, people with the fewest resources are more likely to lose out on a well-balanced diet and key nutrients, relying on crops like corn for the majority of their diet.

10 Things people do when their food runs out

When people run low on food, they’re forced to make difficult choices — and sometimes the things they must do to survive can have destructive consequences.

Lack of Knowledge, Skills, and Support to Ensure Optimal Care for Women and Children

Education and poverty are also linked , especially when it comes to health and nutrition. The harmful patriarchal and gender norms present in many low-income countries (particularly in rural areas) mean that many women don’t realize the care they need to take while pregnant and nursing. Many parents also rely on traditional methods of treating their children when sick, many of which are ineffectual — and some of which can even be counterproductive.

Educating parents about proper prenatal and pediatric care (and giving them access to trained professionals, no matter how remote their community is) is a key aspect of ending hunger. When caregivers are informed about how to prevent, detect, and treat malnutrition, lives are saved. When expecting parents are aware of how nutrition is passed on to a child during pregnancy, they can take the care to get the nutrients they need in order to start their child off on the best possible foot.

Poor or No Access to Water, Sanitation, and Essential Health Services

Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) as well as other key health services are also linked to poverty and hunger. Sometimes, people (especially children) eat enough. But if they live in an area with insufficient sanitation or poor hygiene practices, they may be susceptible to diarrhea or other waterborne illnesses that prevent them from absorbing those nutrients. Making sure that drinking and washing water are uncontaminated can save a life — in more ways than one.

Likewise, essential healthcare services are, well, essential to ending hunger. This is especially true for women and children, who often don’t get adequate care or nutritional screenings at key moments in life.

Drought is also a key issue. “Before the drought, we had 40 sheep and goats. We depended on our livestock as we used to sell milk, meat, sheep, or goats,” Nimco explains. She lost all but 11 of her flock. “This is not the first drought,” she adds. “The drought has been here for the last two and a half years. Now we do not have anything to trade or anywhere to go. We are trapped in this tiny village.”

Why (and How) Concern Tackles Both Poverty and Hunger

Concern’s mandate is to end extreme poverty (whatever it takes). But we won’t end poverty until we also end hunger. If poverty is a combination between inequality and risk, then unger creates vulnerability. This in turn feeds into the risks that fuel poverty. Food insecurity itself can also be an inequality within a community, or simply signal the other inequalities within that community.

Human development is not possible without good nutrition — particularly for women and young children. Stark evidence now demonstrates the enormous scale of nutritional issues in low-income countries, as well as their human and financial costs. As a result, Concern — like many other NGOs, as well as governments and UN agencies, has made unprecedented commitments to prioritize nutrition in our work around the globe.

Currently, our nutrition strategy is to focus efforts on reducing hunger and malnutrition among adolescent girls, women of reproductive age, and children under the age of 5. We work with adolescent girls to understand how to take care of themselves and advocate for their health and nutrition so that those who eventually become mothers bring a solid nutritional foundation to their pregnancies. We do the same with pregnant and lactating mothers, working with them to track and maintain their vitamin and nutrient levels. Some of our projects focus specifically on the first 1,000 days between conception and a child’s second birthday to prevent malnutrition in this critical time. Other programs, like Community Management of Acute Malnutrition , screen and treat children up to the age of 5 (and even older) with overwhelmingly positive results and standard-setting cure rates.

A few other ways Concern approaches hunger in context of our work to end poverty include:

• Supporting nutrition-sensitive agriculture and crop diversity to ensure that families have the full range of nutrients they need
• Promote nutrition-sensitive social protection and natural resource management, placing nutrition and health at the forefront of responses to other emergencies such as climate change and conflict
• Working more largely towards gender equality and gender transformative programming
• Working more largely towards improving access to water and sanitation services, while also promoting optimal nutrition, health, and hygiene behaviors
• Increasing access to quality education, especially for girls
• Strengthening local and national health systems so that they can deliver integrated nutrition services (such as CMAM) without ongoing support from Concern

Back in rural Somalia, Nimco has found some relief from the poverty and hunger trap into which her family had fallen. Unconditional cash transfers from Concern have allowed her to buy food and water, and to pay off some of the debt that was weighing the family down.

It’s a short-term solution for sure, but it has slowed a spiral from which the family might never have recovered. Meanwhile, programs that support alternative sources of food production and income generation are the bedrock upon which families like Nimco’s can build their resilience to poverty and climate shock. For Concern’s teams in countries like Somalia, it’s programs like these that will ultimately help break the vicious cycle that ruins so many lives around the world.

Our Work: Health & Nutrition

Ending global extreme poverty requires us to focus on two of its root issues: health & nutrition. You can help us with both.

Conflict and hunger: Five links in a deadly chain

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World Hunger and Poverty

Author and page information.

• by Anup Shah
• This page last updated Sunday, August 22, 2010
• This page: https://www.globalissues.org/issue/6/world-hunger-and-poverty .
• https://www.globalissues.org/print/issue/6

We often hear about people’s desire to solve world hunger, or to be able to feed the world and help alleviate the suffering associated with it.

However, meaningful long-term alleviation to hunger is rooted in the alleviation of poverty, as poverty leads to hunger. World hunger is a terrible symptom of world poverty. If efforts are only directed at providing food, or improving food production or distribution, then the structural root causes that create hunger, poverty and dependency would still remain. And so while continuous effort, resources and energies are deployed to relieve hunger through these technical measures, the political causes require political solutions as well.

4 articles on “World Hunger and Poverty” and 3 related issues:

Causes of Hunger are related to Poverty

There are many inter-related issues causing hunger, which are related to economics and other factors that cause poverty. They include land rights and ownership, diversion of land use to non-productive use, increasing emphasis on export-oriented agriculture, inefficient agricultural practices, war, famine, drought, over-fishing, poor crop yields, etc. This section introduces some of these issues.

Read “ Causes of Hunger are related to Poverty ” to learn more.

Solving World Hunger Means Solving World Poverty

Solving world hunger in the conventional sense (of providing/growing more food etc) will not tackle poverty that leads to hunger in the first place. Further, there is a risk of continuing the poverty and dependency without realizing it, because the act of attempting to provide more food etc can appear so altruistic in motive. To solve world hunger in the long run, poverty alleviation is required.

Read “ Solving World Hunger Means Solving World Poverty ” to learn more.

Population and Feeding the World

The food scarcity part of the argument in the population debate is an interesting one -- people are hungry not because the population is growing so fast that food is becoming scarce, but because people cannot afford it. Food may be scarce, but it is international trade, economic policies and the control of land that have lead to immense poverty and hunger and therefore less access to food, not food scarcity due to over population.

Read “ Population and Feeding the World ” to learn more.

Food and Agriculture Issues

This issue explores topics ranging from the global food crisis of 2008, to issues of food aid, world hunger, food dumping and wasteful agriculture such as growing tobacco, sugar, beef, and more.

Read “ Food and Agriculture Issues ” to learn more.

Food Dumping [Aid] Maintains Poverty

Food aid (when not for emergency relief) can actually be very destructive on the economy of the recipient nation and contribute to more hunger and poverty in the long term. Free, subsidized, or cheap food, below market prices undercuts local farmers, who cannot compete and are driven out of jobs and into poverty, further slanting the market share of the larger producers such as those from the US and Europe. Many poor nations are dependent on farming, and so such food aid amounts to food dumping. In the past few decades, more powerful nations have used this as a foreign policy tool for dominance rather than for real aid.

Read “ Food Dumping [Aid] Maintains Poverty ” to learn more.

Causes of Poverty

Poverty is the state for the majority of the world’s people and nations. Why is this? Is it enough to blame poor people for their own predicament? Have they been lazy, made poor decisions, and been solely responsible for their plight? What about their governments? Have they pursued policies that actually harm successful development? Such causes of poverty and inequality are no doubt real. But deeper and more global causes of poverty are often less discussed.

Read “ Causes of Poverty ” to learn more.

World hunger related links for more information

Links to web sites and articles that discuss world hunger, the relationship between populations and hunger, of poverty and hunger, agricultural issues, land rights and so on.

Read “ World hunger related links for more information ” to learn more.

Author and Page Information

• Created: Sunday, September 24, 2000
• Last updated: Sunday, August 22, 2010

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Essay on Poverty: Samples in 100, 200, 300 Words

• Updated on  
• Oct 14, 2023

Poverty is a deep-rooted problem that continues to affect a large portion of the world’s population today. It touches on several aspects of human life including but not limited to political, economic, and social elements. Even though there are several methods to escape poverty, still issues arise due to a lack of adequate unity among the country’s citizens. Here are some essays on poverty which will give you insights about this topic.

This Blog Includes:

Essay on poverty in 100 words, essay on poverty in 200 words, reasons behind poverty, world poverty conditions, role of ngos to eradicate poverty, what can be done by us.

Poverty is defined as a state of scarcity, and the lack of material possessions to such an extreme extent that people have difficulties in fulfilling their basic needs. Robert McNamara, a former World Bank President, states that extreme poverty is limited by illiteracy, malnutrition, disease, high infant mortality rate, squalid conditions of living, and low life expectancy.

In order to eradicate poverty in a country, strict measures need to be taken on all levels. The political system needs to address this issue with utmost sincerity and strategic implementation in such a way that it improves the lives of people, especially the ones living below the poverty line. 

Also Read: Speech on Made in India

Poverty is like a parasite that degrades its host and eventually causes a lot of damage to the host. It is basically the scarcity of basic needs that leads to an extremely degraded life and even low life expectancy. It includes a lack of food, shelter, medication, education, and other basic necessities. Poverty is a more serious circumstance where people are forced to starve. It can be caused by a variety of factors depending upon the country. 

Every country that is hit with pandemic diseases, experiences an increase in poverty rates. This is because of the fact that poor people are unable to receive adequate medical care and hence are unable to maintain their health. This renders the people powerless and even puts their liberty in jeopardy. This is because of the fact that poor people can become trapped in a vicious cycle of servitude. The condition of poverty is a distressing one that causes pain, despair, and grief in the lives of the ones it affects. 

This is also a negative scenario that prevents a child from attending basic education. It’s the lack of money that prevents people from living sufficiently. Also, it is the cause of more serious social concerns such as slavery, child labour, etc. Hence action is needed on the same with utmost sincerity. 

Essay on Poverty in 300 words

Poverty is a multifaceted concept that includes several aspects such as social aspects, political elements, economic aspects, etc. It is basically associated with undermining a variety of essential human attributes such as health, education, etc. Despite the growth and development of the economies of countries, poverty still exists in almost every one of them. 

There are several contributing reasons behind poverty in a nation. Some of them are mentioned below:-

• Lack of literacy among citizens
• Lack of Capital in the country
• Large families and a rapidly growing population
• Limited employment opportunities

There are even urban areas where the slum population is increasing. These are deprived of many basic amenities such as sanitation, drainage systems, and low-cost water supply, etc. 

According to UNICEF , around 22000 children lose their lives each day due to poverty. There are approximately 1.9 billion children in developing countries in the world and India is also among them. Out of these, approximately 640 million don’t have a proper shelter, 270 million are living without medical facilities, and approximately 400 million don’t have access to safe water. This worldwide situation is growing at a fast pace. 

The approaches by NGOs basically include helping the poor by providing various public services such as medical services etc.

They also play a major role in mobilizing the services recommended by the government. They have various approaches and strategies that directly help the poor in various ways.

We help in eradicating poverty by increasing employment opportunities.

Ensuring financial services and providing the same is another such measure that can be taken.

Recognizing social entrepreneurs as people of influence, conveying to them the seriousness of this situation, and then eventually making people aware of the same is another thing that can be done. 

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Writing an essay on poverty in 200 words requires you to describe various aspects of this topic such as what causes poverty, how it affects individuals and society as a whole, etc. The condition of poverty is a distressing one that causes pain, despair, and grief in the lives of the ones it affects.

An essay on poverty may be started as follows:- Poverty is a deep-rooted problem that continues to affect a large portion of the world’s population today. It touches on several aspects of human life including but not limited to political, economic, and social elements. Even though there are several methods to escape poverty, still issues arise due to a lack of adequate unity among the country’s citizens.

Poverty in 100 words: Poverty is defined as a state of scarcity, and the lack of material possessions to such an extreme extent that people have difficulties in fulfilling their basic needs. Robert McNamara, a former World Bank President, states that extreme poverty is limited by illiteracy, malnutrition, disease, high infant mortality rate, squalid conditions of living, and low life expectancy. In order to eradicate poverty in a country, strict measures need to be taken on all levels. The political system needs to address this issue with utmost sincerity and strategic implementation in such a way that it improves the lives of people, especially the ones living below the poverty line.

For more information on such interesting topics, visit our essay writing page and follow Leverage Edu .

Deepansh Gautam

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Ending hunger

Ending world hunger is one of the greatest challenges of our times. Across the globe, as many as 309 million people are facing acute levels of food insecurity in 2024 in the 72 countries with WFP operations and where data is available. Around  42 million people in 45 countries are at 'emergency' or worse levels of hunger . 

The consequence of diets poor in vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are affecting the health and life prospects of millions more, and casting a shadow over the future of communities and entire countries.  

Although enough food is produced to feed everyone on this planet, the goal of a world with zero hunger , as set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and specifically in  Sustainable Development Goal 2 , remains hugely challenging due to a toxic cocktail of conflict, climate change, disasters and structural poverty and inequality . Over the past two years, the socioeconomic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have further exacerbated global hunger by pushing millions of vulnerable people into greater food insecurity and driving up the costs of reaching people in need. WFP works on various activities in seeking solutions to hunger.

World hunger: causes and solutions

60 percent of the world’s hungry people live in zones affected by conflict, which is the main driver in 8 out of 10 of the worst hunger crises (as in the case of Yemen, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Syria, for example).

What we are doing 

Food and nutrition assistance

WFP brings life-saving food and nutrition assistance to people trapped or displaced by fighting, wherever they are. With the help of local partners, we reach those in need even in the most remote areas, using all-terrain vehicles and dropping food from planes when all other avenues are closed.

Our assistance can help create pathways to peace, as recognized in the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to WFP in 2020.

Prospects for peace

Preliminary findings from a joint research study with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute indicated that WFP’s work to solve world hunger contributed to improving prospects for peace. It did this by enhancing access to contested natural resources, boosting social cohesion and resolving grievances within and between communities, while increasing opportunities and trust between people and government through strengthening state accountability and service delivery. The study focused on El Salvador, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan and Mali.

Climate change

The impacts of the climate crisis such as floods, drought or heatwaves affect the lives and livelihoods of millions of people, aggravating poverty, world hunger and social tensions. WFP helps governments and communities to adopt to the changing climate and protect themselves and their food security from climate impacts.

What we are doing

Anticipatory action

WFP’s Anticipatory Action programme uses early warning systems to trigger humanitarian action before extreme weather events impact communities, allowing them to protect themselves, their homes, livestock and buy food and other essential items. 

Climate-smart energy solutions

To ensure people can cook and consume food safely, WFP facilitates access to modern cooking solutions such as gas stoves, mini-gasifiers or electric pressure cookers. WFP also strives to empower smallholder farmers through the distribution of sustainable energy equipment and services that boost food production, processing and preservation.

When an earthquake, cyclone, a hurricane or other disaster strikes, WFP is a first responder, bringing food and other life-saving assistance to populations that have lost everything.

As the leader of the inter-agency Logistics Cluster , WFP provides coordination and information management in the response to large-scale disasters.

Connectivity

WFP leads the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster , which provides life-saving connectivity in emergency situations. WFP’s Fast IT and Telecommunications Emergency and Support Team of responders (FITTEST) is ready to deploy anywhere in the world to establish and restore communications and information technology networks.

Geospatial analyses

Targeted geospatial analyses show the immediate impact of natural disasters and allow for a faster response matched to needs. Our Geographic Information Systems tools such as ADAM (Automatic Disaster Analysis & Mapping) provide 24/7 mapping of earthquakes and tropical cyclones.

Inequality drives global hunger by limiting people's opportunities and increasing levels of hunger. Increasing access to employment, finance and markets, for example, can lift people out of poverty very quickly, increasing their productivity and spending power, and stimulating local markets.

Food assistance for assets

WFP’s Food Assistance for Assets programme involves people working on community projects such as restoring unproductive land, in return for cash or food. The private sector-focused Farm to Market Alliance connects smallholders to markets and helps them diversify their crops and increase their business potential.

Cash transfers

Where markets and financial systems are functioning, WFP provides assistance in cash. Whether in the form of bank notes, vouchers, debit cards, e-money or mobile money, cash transfers allow people to make choices that improve their food security and nutrition, and inject cash into the local economy.

Social safety nets

WFP supports governments in strengthening the social safety nets they have in place to protect their citizens from poverty, inequality and  hunger. We also work to enhance the ability of these systems to respond to shocks such as disasters or mass population displacements.

Poor storage facilities in farms lead to pest infestations and mould ruining crops. Lack of access to technology and markets means many farmers are forced to watch their crops rot in fields, as the labour and financial investment required to harvest them is often unavailable.

Zero post-harvest losses

WFP’s Zero Post-Harvest Losses project teaches smallholder farmers how to use improved post-harvest handling methods, combined with simple but effective hermetic storage equipment to protect crops against insects, rodents, mould and moisture.

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed millions more people into hunger by disrupting production, trade and livelihoods, putting millions out of work.

Common services

WFP set up Common Services – global passenger and cargo movement services – allowing humanitarian staff and food and health supplies to reach vulnerable people around the world, who would otherwise be cut off from support when they needed it most.

Food and cash assistance

To address the increased needs created by the socioeconomic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, WFP has stepped up its cash and food assistance, and supported governments in strengthening their own social safety nets.

Fighting famine

WFP and the Sustainable Development Goals

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5 Essays About Poverty Everyone Should Know

Poverty is one of the driving forces of inequality in the world. Between 1990-2015, much progress was made. The number of people living on less than $1.90 went from 36% to 10%. However, according to the World Bank , the COVID-19 pandemic represents a serious problem that disproportionately impacts the poor. Research released in February of 2020 shows that by 2030, up to ⅔ of the “global extreme poor” will be living in conflict-affected and fragile economies. Poverty will remain a major human rights issue for decades to come. Here are five essays about the issue that everyone should know:

“We need an economic bill of rights” –  Martin Luther King Jr.

The Guardian published an abridged version of this essay in 2018, which was originally released in Look magazine just after Dr. King was killed. In this piece, Dr. King explains why an economic bill of rights is necessary. He points out that while mass unemployment within the black community is a “social problem,” it’s a “depression” in the white community. An economic bill of rights would give a job to everyone who wants one and who can work. It would also give an income to those who can’t work. Dr. King affirms his commitment to non-violence. He’s fully aware that tensions are high. He quotes a spiritual, writing “timing is winding up.” Even while the nation progresses, poverty is getting worse.

This essay was reprinted and abridged in The Guardian in an arrangement with The Heirs to the Estate of Martin Luther King. Jr. The most visible representative of the Civil Rights Movement beginning in 1955, Dr. King was assassinated in 1968. His essays and speeches remain timely.

“How Poverty Can Follow Children Into Adulthood” – Priyanka Boghani

This article is from 2017, but it’s more relevant than ever because it was written when 2012 was the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. That’s no longer the case. In 2012, around ¼ American children were in poverty. Five years later, children were still more likely than adults to be poor. This is especially true for children of colour. Consequences of poverty include anxiety, hunger, and homelessness. This essay also looks at the long-term consequences that come from growing up in poverty. A child can develop health problems that affect them in adulthood. Poverty can also harm a child’s brain development. Being aware of how poverty affects children and follows them into adulthood is essential as the world deals with the economic fallout from the pandemic.

Priyanka Boghani is a journalist at PBS Frontline. She focuses on U.S. foreign policy, humanitarian crises, and conflicts in the Middle East. She also assists in managing Frontline’s social accounts.

“5 Reasons COVID-19 Will Impact the Fight to End Extreme Poverty” – Leah Rodriguez

For decades, the UN has attempted to end extreme poverty. In the face of the novel coronavirus outbreak, new challenges threaten the fight against poverty. In this essay, Dr. Natalie Linos, a Harvard social epidemiologist, urges the world to have a “social conversation” about how the disease impacts poverty and inequality. If nothing is done, it’s unlikely that the UN will meet its Global Goals by 2030. Poverty and COVID-19 intersect in five key ways. For one, low-income people are more vulnerable to disease. They also don’t have equal access to healthcare or job stability. This piece provides a clear, concise summary of why this outbreak is especially concerning for the global poor.

Leah Rodriguez’s writing at Global Citizen focuses on women, girls, water, and sanitation. She’s also worked as a web producer and homepage editor for New York Magazine’s The Cut.

“Climate apartheid”: World’s poor to suffer most from disasters” – Al Jazeera and news Agencies

The consequences of climate change are well-known to experts like Philip Alston, the special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. In 2019, he submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Council sounding the alarm on how climate change will devastate the poor. While the wealthy will be able to pay their way out of devastation, the poor will not. This will end up creating a “climate apartheid.” Alston states that if climate change isn’t addressed, it will undo the last five decades of progress in poverty education, as well as global health and development .

“Nickel and Dimed: On (not) getting by in America” – Barbara Ehrenreich

In this excerpt from her book Nickel and Dimed, Ehrenreich describes her experience choosing to live undercover as an “unskilled worker” in the US. She wanted to investigate the impact the 1996 welfare reform act had on the working poor. Released in 2001, the events take place between the spring of 1998 and the summer of 2000. Ehrenreich decided to live in a town close to her “real life” and finds a place to live and a job. She has her eyes opened to the challenges and “special costs” of being poor. In 2019, The Guardian ranked the book 13th on their list of 100 best books of the 21st century.

Barbara Ehrenreich is the author of 21 books and an activist. She’s worked as an award-winning columnist and essayist.

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About the author, emmaline soken-huberty.

Emmaline Soken-Huberty is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. She started to become interested in human rights while attending college, eventually getting a concentration in human rights and humanitarianism. LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and climate change are of special concern to her. In her spare time, she can be found reading or enjoying Oregon’s natural beauty with her husband and dog.

Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — World Food Crisis — World Hunger: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions

World Hunger: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions

• Categories: Hunger World Food Crisis

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Words: 541 |

Published: Jan 29, 2024

Words: 541 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Table of contents

Causes of world hunger, the consequences of world hunger, potential solutions to world hunger, overpopulation and limited resources, poverty and unequal distribution of resources, effects on human health, social and economic implications, improve agricultural practices, address underlying causes of poverty.

• World Food Programme, & International Fund for Agricutural Development. (2020). “2020 Global Report on Food Crises.” United Nations Publications.
• Kaye, B.L. (2009). “The Impact of Poverty on Education.” Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education, 2(5).
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2015). “Addressing Poverty and Well-being.” OECD Publishing.

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Poverty Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on poverty essay.

“Poverty is the worst form of violence”. – Mahatma Gandhi.

How Poverty is Measured?

For measuring poverty United nations have devised two measures of poverty – Absolute & relative poverty.  Absolute poverty is used to measure poverty in developing countries like India. Relative poverty is used to measure poverty in developed countries like the USA. In absolute poverty, a line based on the minimum level of income has been created & is called a poverty line.  If per day income of a family is below this level, then it is poor or below the poverty line. If per day income of a family is above this level, then it is non-poor or above the poverty line. In India, the new poverty line is  Rs 32 in rural areas and Rs 47 in urban areas.

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Causes of Poverty

According to the Noble prize winner South African leader, Nelson Mandela – “Poverty is not natural, it is manmade”. The above statement is true as the causes of poverty are generally man-made. There are various causes of poverty but the most important is population. Rising population is putting the burden on the resources & budget of countries. Governments are finding difficult to provide food, shelter & employment to the rising population.

The other causes are- lack of education, war, natural disaster, lack of employment, lack of infrastructure, political instability, etc. For instance- lack of employment opportunities makes a person jobless & he is not able to earn enough to fulfill the basic necessities of his family & becomes poor. Lack of education compels a person for less paying jobs & it makes him poorer. Lack of infrastructure means there are no industries, banks, etc. in a country resulting in lack of employment opportunities. Natural disasters like flood, earthquake also contribute to poverty.

In some countries, especially African countries like Somalia, a long period of civil war has made poverty widespread. This is because all the resources & money is being spent in war instead of public welfare. Countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. are prone to natural disasters like cyclone, etc. These disasters occur every year causing poverty to rise.

Ill Effects of Poverty

Poverty affects the life of a poor family. A poor person is not able to take proper food & nutrition &his capacity to work reduces. Reduced capacity to work further reduces his income, making him poorer. Children from poor family never get proper schooling & proper nutrition. They have to work to support their family & this destroys their childhood. Some of them may also involve in crimes like theft, murder, robbery, etc. A poor person remains uneducated & is forced to live under unhygienic conditions in slums. There are no proper sanitation & drinking water facility in slums & he falls ill often &  his health deteriorates. A poor person generally dies an early death. So, all social evils are related to poverty.

Government Schemes to Remove Poverty

The government of India also took several measures to eradicate poverty from India. Some of them are – creating employment opportunities , controlling population, etc. In India, about 60% of the population is still dependent on agriculture for its livelihood. Government has taken certain measures to promote agriculture in India. The government constructed certain dams & canals in our country to provide easy availability of water for irrigation. Government has also taken steps for the cheap availability of seeds & farming equipment to promote agriculture. Government is also promoting farming of cash crops like cotton, instead of food crops. In cities, the government is promoting industrialization to create more jobs. Government has also opened  ‘Ration shops’. Other measures include providing free & compulsory education for children up to 14 years of age, scholarship to deserving students from a poor background, providing subsidized houses to poor people, etc.

Poverty is a social evil, we can also contribute to control it. For example- we can simply donate old clothes to poor people, we can also sponsor the education of a poor child or we can utilize our free time by teaching poor students. Remember before wasting food, somebody is still sleeping hungry.

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• Poverty Issue

Poverty and Hunger

Updated 13 November 2023

Subject Poverty Issue

Downloads 28

Category Food ,  Social Issues

Topic Hunger

Poverty refers to the lack of a certain amount or scarcity of money or material possession that can make a person not to sustain their well-being. Hunger arises when a person has no enough money to cater for his or her basic needs. Therefore, we can say that hunger is a result of poverty. Several issues like poor soil, lack of water, the climatic changes and lack of money to buy food causes hunger. In addition, political instability, war, and conflicts also cause a shortage in food security that may cause hunger. Poverty arises due to several reasons. Causes of poverty include overpopulation, being in a culture full of poverty, lack of education and outbreak of the epidemic diseases like malaria and AIDS where people spent a lot of money taking care of the sick. In addition, increase in the divorce rate may also lead to feminization of poverty. Several ethical issues arise from poverty and hunger.

 The management of hunger has to look into some of the issues of food supply and access to the materials to support individuals in their lives. Poverty and Hunger is a serious social issue that individuals should work hard to overcome. One can take several measures to reduce the moral problem. The paper explains the causes of poverty and hunger, ways of avoiding poverty and hunger and the ethical issues that arise due to poverty and hunger. The paper also displays the importance of finding the solutions to poverty and hunger.

Most people in our societies believe that poverty causes hunger. Not every poor person is hungry, but most of the hungry people are poor because the poor people cannot afford enough amount of money to buy the food that can satisfy their needs. Some of the factors that cause poverty are poor management of family products. For example, people may decide to sell some of the produces or even sell a portion of the farm. The families living in poverty cannot afford enough materials and equipment required to grow enough food on their own. There are several indicators of poverty. The indicators of poverty include one; children from low-income families underperform in school due to several factors like hunger, illness and sometimes headache (Ramphoma 66). The second indicator is when there is an increase in the number of drop out children due to factors like school fees.

Poverty and hunger have several effects on the life of individuals in low-income families. To begin with, poverty leads to an increase in death of children in the low-income families (Ramphoma 66). Children in low-income families die at their early age because of some of the illnesses like the chronic diseases. Secondly, due to lack of food, suffering from the diseases like a headache makes the children from the low-income families to underperform in the educational sector (Ramphom 67). The underperformance demotivates the children from low-income families and makes the children drop out of school. Thirdly, political instability and civil was caused poverty and hunger (Hong, Farinda, Kan, Lim and Ting 4). When there is war in the country, most people lose their lives while other people are injured. I order to treat the wounded people; families have to use a lot of money. During the wars, people destroy other people products thus reducing the amount of food harvested.

Poverty forces children into child labor. Poverty makes and exposes the children from the needy families to the vulnerabilities of mistreatment. Also, the families living in poverty cannot afford to provide the balanced diet. The lack of the steady diet in children makes the children suffer from illnesses like marasmus and kwashiorkor.Lastly, poverty leads to poor health and maintenance. For example, girls from low-income families cannot access the materials like sanitary towels to help them maintain cleanliness and healthy living.

Poverty and hunger have several effects on individuals and society. To begin with, poverty leads to increase of crime rate. When people have no enough money to cater for their basic needs, the individuals will end up engaging in ways that they can get money. Secondly, hunger leads to an outbreak of chronic diseases that may require a lot of money to treat. In addition, poverty leads to increase in the number of school dropouts so that the children can look for a job. The drop out of individuals leads to increase in child labor. Lastly, poverty and hunger may lower the self-esteem of a child. When the parents from the rich families come to visit their children in school, the parents come with a bulk of food staffs as compared to parents from low-income families. The difference lowers the self-esteem of the low-income family students making them underperform in class.

Individuals can reduce poverty and hunger through several ways. To begin with, there should be an education development in the country (Mohajan 77). Provision of education equips individual with new skills of doing things that will lead to economic growth of the country. Secondly, cubing the food security in the country (Mohajan 74). To reduce the climatic change like drought people should avoid cutting down the trees. During the dry seasons, individuals should practice irrigation to increase the domestic production of agricultural products. By observing this, there will be accessibility and a stable supply of food in the country (Mohajan 74). The government should also provide,  finance to low-income families to help the families fund the education and the health status of the children.

By the social problem, the author of the article “Rural Poverty in the United States” emphasizes on some of the key arguments in poverty and hunger.The author indicates that poverty is just a social problem that many people in the rural areas recognize and experience. The social forces such as gender, state of the economy, distribution of power beyond any economy and the racial discrimination cause poverty to increase. There is a difference in the poverty rate in different racial groups. Most of the racial minorities are poor as compared to the rural whites.The families are living in poverty struggle to meet the basic needs for adequate food. Most of the families experience the food insecurities where the individuals cannot obtain adequate nutritious food. The author also argues that poverty marks one of the greatest obstacles for the youths to acquire education.

    One can use several ethical theories to solve poverty and hunger problem. One ethical theory is utilitarianism, which states that an action that maximizes utility is the best. Utilitarianism has two main components. The two components of utilitarianism are consequentialism and happiness. The consequences of action define whether the action is right or wrong. In consequentialism, the action that delivers the best results is the best action, and if the action delivers worst results, then the action is wrong.  The actions that promote happiness are the right actions. Another ethical theory is the desire satisfaction theory. The desire satisfaction theory states that a good that satisfies a human want is the best good for an individual.  The amount of goods needed for one’s want determines the desire for one’s satisfaction. For a person to have a better life, he or she has to get more of the basic wants. A person can use the desire satisfaction theory as a solution for poverty and hunger. Everybody’s desires are important, and therefore individuals should care about the welfare of the needy to satisfy the desires of the needy. In addition, an individual can use utilitarianism theory as a solution to poverty and hunger. To create happiness for the needy, the well-being individuals should provide the basic needs of the poor. Financing the poor to will create a better environment for studying, and the needy will end up achieving their desired goals.

    Finding a solution for poverty and hunger is important. The importance of finding a solution to the poverty and hunger problems is that: first, people will get the knowledge on the ways of increasing the products to avoid hunger. Secondly, the people will identify the importance of creating peace and unity and avoid the political difference to create an environment that encourages economic growth. Thirdly, finding the solution to hunger and poverty reduces the dependency ratio. If people identify the proper methods to cultivate and produce adequate food for use, the individuals will not depend on other people for help. Besides, the finding the solution helps the individuals to prepare themselves for change in climate and know the importance of storing the products for future. In addition, the illness arising from lack of adequate food and lack of balanced diet. Reducing the sickness will create a better environment for the children to learn and achieve their goals in the educational sector. Lastly, the importance of finding the solution to hunger and poverty is that the parents will identify how they can finance the children in school regarding school fees and the required material for learning.

In conclusion, poverty and hunger is a social problem that may cause several challenges to individuals and families. Several causes of poverty and hunger are poor management of the resources, climatic changes, political instability and civil wars. Poverty and hunger may result in several effects on the life of an individual. First, children from low-income families drop out of school due to lack of adequate materials for learning. Secondly, several illnesses occur because of lack of the food required for child grown. The low-income families cannot provide a balanced diet for children thus children can suffer from an illness like kwashiorkor.  Besides, poverty and hunger results in criminal cases where individuals may decide to steal to get food. Individuals can reduce the poverty rate in different ways. The ways through which individuals can reduce the poverty rate is through better management of family product, the provision of employment opportunities individuals, educating people on the best ways of cultivating. Poverty and hunger is a social issue, and people should find the ways of adhering to the crisis.

Works Cited.

Hong, Alex.,Farinda, Abdul, Kan, Fock., Lim, Ai " Ting, Teo. Poverty: Its Causes and                              Solution, International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, Vol. 7, No. 8,            2013. Pp.1-9

Mohajan, Kumar. Poverty and Economic Development of Kenya, International Journal            of Information Technology and Business Management, Vol. 18, No.1. 2013. Pp.           72-82.

Ramphoma, Khabiso. Understanding Poverty: Causes Effects and Characteristics,                       Interdisciplinary Journal, Vol. 12. No. 2. 2014. Pp.59-72.

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Essay On World Hunger and Poverty

The images of a child's bloated belly or of a mother searching through garbage trying to find food are ones that have long haunted our world and that must be erased immediately. Hunger and malnutrition affect a vast majority of the people in the planet and many die every day from these preventable causes. It is time not to just speak out against world hunger but to do something about it. Having witnessed first hand the horrors of poverty and hunger, I feel compelled to help out the ones in need and to spread the message of giving so that one day we will see hunger and poverty as a thing of the past. Thanks to my Hispanic heritage I have been able to gain a diligent sense of perspective about the world that not many people my age possess. I was born in Quito, Ecuador and lived there for most of my childhood. Thankfully I grew up in the good part of town and never had to face terrible hardship myself. My family was always hard working and taught me to appreciate what I had. The scenes of poverty and deficiency were inescapable though. Whether it was the beggar at the corner of the street or the shoe-shiner in the hair salon, the evidence of poverty was present at all times. I have always had a desire to help the people in need, and fortunately I have had the opportunity to do so on many occasions. I would travel to the countryside with my family and we would bring food along to feed the local children with. It was tremendously important that I thought of those children as equal to me, and my Mom and Dad made sure that I knew that. I would always play soccer with them or share my Power Rangers action figures with them just as I would with my brother or sister. To me they were not poor kids; they were just kids, as I was. Ever since I moved to the United States, the scenes of poverty and hunger have diminished greatly. Naturally my parents wanted a better life for me and we found one here. I did bring that sense of perspective along with me though, and I always think back to the people of my country, and how their lives affected mine. My goal for the future is to become a successful graphic designer. I aspire to have a professional career in the field that I love: Art. With my success I will be able to travel back to Ecuador and truly help out the people in need. I hope to be able to build schools and hospitals where they are needed, and to educate the people there to run those facilities on their own. My goal is to allow the poor regions of Ecuador to sustain themselves by using the tools and knowledge that I provide them. Eventually poverty will no longer be an issue in my country and other countries like it. The source of hunger in the world is poverty, and the source of poverty is ignorance and neglect. When you provide people with the tools and knowledge necessary to bring change about and maintain it, they will welcome the change with pride and will be compelled to sustain it. I have seen the will of people to better themselves and to change; they just need a push of confidence in the right direction.

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The Problems of Poverty and Hunger Essay

Issues of poverty and hunger are fundamental to the problems of modern society. While science, culture, and public education in politics and economics are on the rise, the problems of unemployment, hunger, and poverty remain. It would be logical to conclude that identifying critical solutions requires a complete examination of the cause-and-effect relationship to emerging negative trends. Thus, analysis is essential for proposing a possible sequence of actions to resolve the issues mentioned above.

First, the exact cause of hunger, predominantly among the poor, must be determined. Except for a few countries with natural problems with food supplies, the source is a lack of financial resources. Without enough money to pay rent and utilities and to eat adequately, lower-class citizens consequently choose to have their housing. As a counterbalance to this problem, the government creates all kinds of funds, social programs, benefits, and night shelters with cafeterias. However, based on available statistics, in the ratio of people suffering from a lack of food to the number of measures to prevent hunger, many citizens remain hungry most of the time (Tyagi, 2017). Subsequently, the cause in this case serves as a path to a solution – more social programs are needed, and wealthy citizens should be encouraged to become beneficiaries for the hungry. Such a decision would create a positive trend toward solving the above problem.

An alternative solution way may also be conducted by identifying a second significant problem. Following the analytical rhetoric, we can further discuss why people cannot afford to pay for both housing and quality food. Without delving into the specifics of economic processes, a superficial series of statements is required. It is a well-known fact that taxes paid by citizens form the state budget. Moreover, the reason for the state’s existence is the fair distribution of benefits and support for people. With budgetary resources, the state must directly support the poor. Bypassing the bureaucratic processes and instances through which social payments pass, the solution would be to eliminate the need to pay taxes to those who do not have sufficient means. However, to prevent such a system from being exploited by unscrupulous people, a commission should be established to verify the accuracy of the income of the citizen claiming to be poor. Thus, by combining this solution with the one described above, hunger and poverty can be effectively combated.

Tyagi, A. C. (2017). Icid vision 2030: A water secure world free of poverty and hunger . Irrigation and Drainage , 66 (5), 896–897.

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World Hunger Essay

World hunger is a problem that has existed for centuries. Despite the efforts of many organizations and individuals, the number of people who are hungry or at risk of hunger continues to rise. According to the World Food Programme, there are about 795 million people who are chronically undernourished, which means that they do not have enough food to lead a healthy and active life.

The causes of world hunger are complex and multi-faceted, but there are some common underlying factors. One of the main causes is poverty. People living in poverty do not have the money to buy food, or they may not have access to land where they can grow their own food. Another major cause of world hunger is conflict. When countries are in conflict, it disrupts the distribution of food and can lead to widespread famine. Natural disasters, such as droughts and floods, can also cause food shortages.

There are many ways to address world hunger. One way is to provide emergency food assistance to people who are affected by natural disasters or conflicts. Another way is to work on long-term solutions such as economic development and agricultural reform.

World hunger is a complex problem that requires a multi-faceted approach to be effectively addressed. However, with concerted effort and cooperation, it is possible to make progress in the fight against hunger.

As I speak these words to you, a youngster somewhere on this planet will have perished from starvation. A child. Children are the most vulnerable of us: they trust everyone instinctively, and their purity is genuine and appropriate and necessary–and they’re dying in far-flung regions of the globe until their skin stretches over their bones and they don’t have the strength, desire, or capacity to cry out anymore. You may feel for them with compassion or guilt or simply an understanding of their condition.

They become a statistic, one more number in the millions that die each year from something as preventable and solvable as hunger.

World hunger is one of the biggest problems faced by the human race. It’s not just a problem in developing countries, either. In our own country, the United States of America, there are children going to bed hungry every night. Just think about that for a moment. In the richest country in the world, with more resources than any other nation, there are still children who don’t have enough to eat. That’s shameful.

The problem of world hunger is complex and multi-faceted. There are many factors that contribute to it: war, natural disasters, poverty, poor infrastructure and access to resources, and more. But the bottom line is that there is enough food in the world to feed everyone. So why are people still going hungry?

There are a number of organizations working to solve the problem of world hunger. One of them is World Food Programme (WFP). The WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, working to end hunger worldwide. They provide food assistance in emergencies and help communities develop long-term solutions to hunger.

You can help fight world hunger by supporting the WFP or another organization working to end hunger. You can also donate money or time to local food banks or soup kitchens. Or you can advocate for policies that will help reduce hunger and poverty.

The bottom line is that we can end world hunger. But it’s going to take all of us working together to make it happen.

Despite this, they remain hungry while their countries suffer from deadly plagues that demand sweet forgiveness. You may believe you can do nothing, but a single dollar here and there seems to fall off your fingers without a second thought—dollars that could feed starving families for days.

In order to truly address the problem of world hunger, not only must someone travel to these nations and improve their infrastructure in order to give assistance, but you must also keep them in mind so that their suffering does not go unnoticed. The first step is changing one’s diet.

People in these areas often don’t have access to gardens or grocery stores. Without a change in diet, the people will never be able to properly absorb the nutrients they need. They must have access to education so that they can learn about food and its value, not only for themselves but also for their families. The next issue is infrastructure.

These countries must have access to clean water and sanitation so that disease doesn’t spread like wildfire through their communities. They also need roads and transportation so that they can get food and supplies to where they’re needed most. And finally, they need medical care. Too often, children die because they don’t have access to basic medical care, such as vaccinations. World hunger is a problem that can be solved, but it will take more than just money.

It will take a change in mindset and a willingness to help those who cannot help themselves. With your help, we can make the world a better place for everyone. World hunger is a global issue that effects us all. We need to work together to find a solution so that everyone can have access to food and live a healthy life. Thank you for your time and consideration. World hunger must end now.

World hunger is defined as “a condition in which people lack the means necessary to obtain adequate food on a daily basis” (www.endworldhunger.org). According to the World Food Programme, there are 795 million people around the world who are affected by hunger on a daily basis, including 155 million children under the age of five.

Some countries have the resources to provide children with adequate calories to develop and thrive, yet they waste away and die. This is due to malnutrition. Micronutrients (particularly protein) are lacking in many fatal diseases due to a lack of macronutrients (especially protein).

Both kwashiorkor and marasmus are particularly terrible and prevalent forms of malnutrition. Kwashiorkor occurs as a result of a deficit in protein, whereas marasmus results from an absence of all minerals. Both induce youngsters to become heartbreaking images made up of skin and bones. The method to properly subsist on farm must be established in every nation on the planet in order to address this.

World hunger has many causes, but all of them are interconnected. Poverty is the main cause of world hunger. According to World Bank, “Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for tomorrow, living one day at a time.”

This means that people who are poor do not have enough money to buy food or clothes or even pay their rent. They also do not have enough money to go to the doctor when they are sick and they cannot afford to send their children to school because they need them to work in order to earn some money.

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Essay about Hunger And Poverty

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In Yemen, Renewed Conflict and Rising Hunger Stalk a Lean Ramadan

Airstrikes, crippling inflation and a drop in foreign aid are raising alarms about a new humanitarian crisis in the world’s poorest Arab country.

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By Saeed Al-Batati and Vivian Nereim

Saeed Al-Batati reported from Al Mukalla, Yemen, and Vivian Nereim from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In the years before war and hunger upended daily life in Yemen, Mohammed Abdullah Yousef used to sit down after a long day of fasting during Ramadan to a rich spread of food. His family would dine on meat, falafel, beans, savory fried pastries and occasionally store-bought crème caramel.

This year, the Islamic holy month looks different for Mr. Yousef, 52, a social studies teacher in the coastal city of Al Mukalla. He, his wife and their five children break their fast with bread, soup and vegetables. Earning the equivalent of $66 a month, he frets that his salary sometimes slips from his hands in less than two weeks, much of it to pay grocery bills.

“I’m fighting to make ends meet,” Mr. Yousef said in an interview, describing how even before Ramadan he had begun skipping meals to stretch his meager paychecks, yet could barely afford bus fare to his job at a primary school.

A decade ago, his salary covered his family’s needs and more. But conflict, poverty and hunger have overtaken much of Yemen. As rapid inflation eats away at their spending power, middle-class Yemenis like Mr. Yousef have found themselves sliding into economic collapse.

Muslims abstain from food and water between dawn and sunset in observance of Ramadan, which is meant to be a time of worship, celebratory gatherings and nightly feasts. But it has been a desperate occasion this year for many across Yemen. The country is home to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, precipitated by a war that began in 2014, which experts warn may be drifting toward a deeper disaster.

After two years of relative quiet, conflict in Yemen is threatening to ramp up again. The Iran-backed Houthi militia that controls much of the country’s north is attacking ships in the Red Sea, calling it a campaign to pressure Israel over its bombardment of Gaza. In response, a U.S.-backed coalition is carrying out airstrikes on Yemen — all of which is increasing the insurance cost of shipping goods to the country, which is dependent on imports.

More than 18.2 million people out of the population of 35 million now require humanitarian assistance, but funding has fallen as international donors turn their attention to other crises, including the war in Ukraine and an imminent famine in Gaza .

In December, the World Food Program suspended food distribution in Houthi-controlled territories, where a vast majority of Yemenis live. The agency, which is run by the United Nations, said the decision was driven by “limited funding,” as well as disagreements with the Houthi authorities over reducing the number of people served to focus on the neediest families.

Edem Wosornu, the director of operations and advocacy at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, warned on March 14 that food insecurity and malnutrition in Yemen had surged in recent months. The progress the agency had observed over the past two years was “at the risk of unraveling,” she said.

Spring is generally a harvest season of relative plenty in Yemen, said Peter Hawkins, a UNICEF representative to Yemen. But he said he worried what would happen in the summer and the fall, when the “hunger season” arrives.

Last year, the United Nations sought $4.3 billion to pay for aid operations in Yemen and received less than half that from donors. This year, it put out a more modest plea for $2.7 billion .

“Lack of food today, tomorrow, is not a big problem,” Mr. Hawkins said. “It’s the cumulative impact that is a big problem, because that’s where destitution starts to settle in.” The bigger concern, he said, was that the international community had not yet responded to 2024 food aid needs. “And every day that they delay,” he added, “every day it will get worse.”

Yemenis like Mr. Yousef split their lives into periods before and after the war splintered their country. Before, he used to be able to afford special purchases for his family like a whole goat, and he was even able to pay for a trip to Mecca for an Islamic pilgrimage, he said.

Then, in 2014, the Houthis — an armed group with a stronghold in Yemen’s northern mountains — seized on a period of political instability to take over the country’s capital, Sana. A Saudi-led military coalition, backed by U.S. assistance and weapons, began a bombing campaign in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognized government. The coalition enforced a de facto naval and air blockade that restricted the flow of food and other goods into Houthi-held territory.

As the war ground on for years, hundreds of thousands of people died from violence, hunger and disease. Children starved to death — their emaciated bodies documented in stark photographs published by Western news outlets — and the potential of a widespread famine loomed.

The Saudi-led coalition eventually faced international pressure to pull back, and in 2022, a tentative truce took hold. That left the Houthis entrenched in power in the north and Yemenis in a sort of limbo — not peace, but a respite from war’s worst consequences. The country’s already fragile economy, however, was decimated.

Mr. Yousef’s salary has technically gone up by more than 50 percent since the war began, but that increase has vanished amid inflation, as the Yemeni currency becomes increasingly worthless. Dueling central banks in the north and the south of the country set different exchange rates, and the black market operates on a third. In 2014, it took about 215 Yemeni riyals to equal $1; now, where Mr. Yousef lives, it is 1,650.

Al Mukalla is in southern Yemen, nominally controlled by the internationally recognized government. In Houthi-controlled territories, thousands of state workers, including teachers, have not received salary payments in years.

As a result, deprivation is a feature of daily life. Each night, Mr. Yousef’s family crowds into one room to sleep because it is the only one with an air-conditioning unit to ease the sweltering heat. Even if he could afford another cooling unit, he said, he could not pay the electricity bill to operate it.

“We have forgone meals and stopped purchasing stuff to maintain our dignity and avoid asking others for money,” he said.

Mohammed Omer Mohammed, a grocery store owner in Al Mukalla for three decades, can see the impact in his shop as purchasing power plummets. Instead of rice, customers buy subsidized bread. He said he stopped stocking goods like Nutella and high-quality canned tuna because his customers could no longer afford them.

In the evenings, Ramadan shoppers still gather at a busy market in the city, where vendors sell hamburgers and fresh fruits. But merchants said the trade was not what it used to be. Shoppers stop to ask how much things cost, then buy nothing. Those who do buy haggle relentlessly over the price.

“Each year becomes worse than the previous one,” said Abdullah Badwood, a gold merchant, who has found that instead of buying gold, many of his customers want to sell.

This Ramadan has been particularly difficult for Hussein Saeed Awadh, 38, a father of three in Al Mukalla. He earns 55,000 Yemeni riyals a month as an Arabic teacher, a salary that is now worth less than $35. That disappears in a few days as he pays off bills, he said, so in the afternoons he has taken a second job as a street vendor.

Years ago, Mr. Awadh’s family broke their Ramadan fasts with fresh fruits, pastries and chocolates. Now for their evening meal they have coffee and dates, and — because he cannot pay for more expensive meat — they eat soup with tripe.

A whole chicken would cost more than 5,000 Yemeni riyals — a tenth of his monthly salary. A kilogram of local mangos would cost 3,000 riyals; imported oranges about 3,500. All of it is more than many Yemenis can afford. But it is not just food that is out of reach.

Recently, Mr. Awadh found that his 6-year-old daughter’s teeth had been breaking because she was not getting enough calcium. A four-pound container of powdered milk costs 14,000 riyals — an entire week of his wages as a teacher.

“The doctor prescribed medicine and told me to give her milk,” he said. “But I can’t afford it.”

Vivian Nereim is the lead reporter for The Times covering the countries of the Arabian Peninsula. She is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. More about Vivian Nereim