
The Link Between Nutrition and Brain Development
Causes of Hunger
There are numerous factors which contribute to the constant rise in the levels of hunger and food insecurity across the globe. Some of the types of hunger are:
- Classroom Hunger / Child Malnutrition
- Economic Inequality / Poverty-Induced Hunger
- War-Induced Hunger
- Natural Disaster or Temporary Displacement-Induced Hunger
- Urban Poor / Homeless Hunger
- Occupational Hunger
- Nutrition Insecurity
- Affordability Hunger
Large sections of the world’s population are facing severe adversities due to the different types of hunger. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
- Poverty forces over 3 billion people to survive on less than $5.50 per day, limiting their ability to access nutritious food.
- Conflict is a major driver, with 60% of the world’s hungry living in conflict zones.
- Climate change is disrupting food production through extreme weather events, droughts, and environmental degradation.
- Lack of investment in agriculture, rural infrastructure, and technology limits productivity and resilience for smallholder farmers who produce one-third of global food.
To read about our various interventions to address the above issues, please click here.
Consequences of Malnutrition
Malnutrition has severe short and long-term consequences, as highlighted in a review published in The Lancet:
- Undernutrition is an underlying cause of 45% of deaths among children under 5 globally.
- Stunting impairs cognitive development, reducing a child’s potential income as an adult by over 20%.
- Maternal undernutrition increases risks of birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.
- Micronutrient deficiencies impair immune function, growth, and development in children and adults.
Sustainable Food Systems
Transitioning to sustainable food systems is critical to ending hunger while protecting the environment, according to a report by the EAT-Lancet Commission:
- Sustainable agriculture practices like crop rotation, integrated pest management, and agroforestry can boost yields while reducing environmental impacts.
- Reducing food loss and waste (currently one-third of all food produced) could feed an additional 1.9 billion people per year.
- Shifting to more plant-based diets high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and plant-based proteins can improve nutrition while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.