Three
main groups are most at risk of hunger: the rural poor, the urban poor, and
victims of catastrophes.
The rural poor
The majority of the people who don’t have enough to eat live in poor, rural
communities in developing countries. Many have no electricity and no safe
drinking water. Public health, education and sanitation services are often of
low quality. The world’s most food-insecure and hungry people are often
directly involved in producing food. They cultivate crops on small plots of
land. They raise animals. They catch fish. They do what they can to provide
food for their families or earn money at the local produce market. Many have no
land of their own and work as hired hands to earn enough money to get by. Often
the work is seasonal, and the family must move or split up to earn a living. It
is hard work and it is difficult to set anything aside in case of an emergency.
Even when there is enough food, the threat of hunger is always present.
The urban poor
The urban poor constitute another group that is at risk of hunger. They produce
little or no food and frequently lack the means to buy food. Cities are
expanding constantly. In the year 2000, nearly two billion people lived in
cities; by 2030, this figure will have more than doubled. As the cities expand,
and as more people will migrate from rural to urban areas, the number of the
urban poor will rise. Urban hunger and access to affordable food in cities will
therefore be increasingly important issues.
Victims of catastrophes
Every year floods, droughts, earthquakes and other natural disasters as well as
armed conflicts cause widespread destruction and force families to abandon
their homes and farms. Victims of catastrophes are often faced with the threat
not just of hunger but of outright starvation.
