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Researchers Calculate Food Amount That Would End World Hunger

Researchers Calculate Food Amount That Would End World Hunger


It’s an unfortunate fact, but a true one nonetheless: some people are born luckier than others. Not everyone ends up with wealth, status, or even a reliable dinner time — which is why even the luckiest in the world try to help out the unluckiest. The odds won’t be even for a while yet, but there are at least statistics to go by — like just how much food needs to be served.

As part of the International Food Security report — a comprehensive packet of info in its own right — researchers at the Department of Agriculture put a number to the exact amount needed to feed those who need it most. Based on a 2,100-calorie-per-day diet, it would take 11.8 million tons of grain to satisfy them. That’s no small amount, obviously, but it’s already more complicated than that; the problem is making sure the hungry are actually fed, and not so much the mere production of food. How to transport that food to the mouths of needy African children is a question that needs answering.

The plus side to such an absurd amount of food is that the level of global food insecurity is in the middle of a downward trend, so fewer people may be in dire straits. On top of that, the UN is trying to expressly deal with sustainability and the world’s ills, hunger well among them. Hopefully, they’ll be able to make sure those that want a good meal can get it soon.