This article ‘Instead of coronavirus, the hunger will kill us.’ A global food crisis looms discusses the alarming situation regarding global hunger caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Even though 135 million people have already been facing food shortages, the pandemic poses a risk for nearly the same number of people around the world to suffer from hunger (Dahir, 2020). Despite being called an equalizer, the coronavirus has revealed social inequalities and class divisions more than ever before. While both rich and poor can get sick, low-income nations and communities are at risk of not only infection but also starvation. The pandemic disrupts supply routes and agricultural production in many countries. Moreover, safety measures like social distancing and lockdowns decrease incomes and leave many people jobless, which brings hunger to even more families around the world.
While global hunger has been a serious issue before the COVID-19, the crises usually occurred on a regional level. They were caused by disasters, extreme weather, wars, or political issues. The current situation is unique since the global economic order is interrupted. The primary factors adding to the hunger crisis risks are decreased income, oil prices collapse, the downfall of tourism, and other current issues, such as humanitarian disasters, climate change, and violence. A report on numerous people injured and two killed during a flour and oil giveaway in Kenya reveals how desperate the population is. In India, many workers depend on daily meal distributions to avoid hunger. According to Dahir (2020), the Indian government has organized soup kitchens, but it becomes more difficult to access food as the number of people in need increases. Across Columbia, citizens hang out red flags and clothing to bring the government’s attention to their malnutrition. Many children who lost access to classes miss out on nutritious meals usually given out at schools. Protests break out across the world as people in South Africa, India, Honduras, and other regions get more worried about starvation.
For many people, hunger appears a more immediate threat than the coronavirus. As Dahir (2020) reports, poor countries that rely on imports and harvesting can expect the situation to worsen within the coming months. In this regard, developing countries are labor-intensive and more affected by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast, developed nations mostly have automated and well-organized food distribution systems. However, even within countries with large economies, the threat of malnutrition due to the coronavirus is real. According to Washington Post Staff (2021), in the United States, one in seven adults report not having enough food in their households. Globally, people that are already struggling from food insecurity, climate change, social inequality, conflicts, and wars, face even more challenges caused by the pandemic. As Giuliani-Hoffman (2020) claims, a report by Oxfam suggests that 12,000 people could die of hunger due to COVID-19 daily by the end of the year. Countries with alarming food security situations and vulnerable supply chains can expect more severe consequences of the current regulations.
Certain social groups are more exposed to the threat of hunger. Refugees and low- or no-income households are likely to experience the harshest effects of the pandemic. Besides, people that live in conflict zones are at risk. Movement restrictions and curfews have a devastating impact on refugees’ earnings and the delivery of tools and seeds in Uganda, Ethiopia, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Niger (Dahir, 2020). While no global surge in food prices is observed yet, the threat of hunger is expected to increase for the poor worldwide. In particular, struggling economies like those of Zimbabwe, Sudan, and Venezuela are significantly affected. As a result, people try to call the government’s attention to the issue by blocking roads and rioting. Besides, stampedes during food giveaways are life-threatening to the population, and food distributions pose additional risks of spreading the infection. Some governments address the problem by providing money transfers to poor households and fixing prices on imported and domestically produced goods to avoid surges (Dahir, 2020). To conclude, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has revealed a serious issue of inequality and the threat of global hunger.
I picked this news item because it is related to the current problem of the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on global hunger. I found this article interesting as it discusses how developing countries deal with food insecurity and what challenges they face. For instance, the fact that people got injured and killed during free meal distribution in Nairobi, Kenya, shows the severity of the situation and the despair of the population suffering from hunger. This article draws the reader’s attention to global hunger and raises awareness of economic inequality and class divisions that COVID-19 makes especially obvious in low-income countries.
The New York Times newspaper is a reliable source of information that provides news on a daily basis. Its website claims that the company’s objective is delivering truthful and unbiased opinions.
After reading this article, I wondered what organizations provide meal distributions due to the coronavirus. Besides, I would like to know what other measures can be taken to prevent malnutrition in low-income families and the worsening of the situation globally.
References
Dahir, A. L. (2020). ‘Instead of coronavirus, the hunger will kill us.’ A global food crisis looms. The New York Times.
Giuliani-Hoffman, F. (2020). The hunger crisis linked to coronavirus could kill more people than the disease itself, Oxfam warns. CNN.
Washington Post Staff. (2021). Going to bed hungry. The Washington Post.