Fill the Bowl | Hunger Facts

The facts about hunger reinforce the need for both immediate and long-term action.  Feel free to use these facts as you talk to your family, friends, community, and congregation about hunger and engage them to “Fill the Bowl” of the many people around the world who suffer as a result of the current food crisis.

1. Over 850 million people around the world are hungry (ELCA World Hunger)
   
   
2. LWR works to fight hunger in Kenya by training farmers in techniques to give food longer shelf life and providing access to markets — reducing vulnerability to shortages and generating much-needed funds to weather food price surges. (LWR)
   
   
3. Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes — one child every five seconds. (Bread for the World)
   
   
4. The poorest of the world’s poor are the most vulnerable to hunger.  In Colombia, LWR helps those most vulnerable to food shortages by providing supplies, access to financing, and training to develop successful farms. (LWR)
   
   
5. As many as 100 million more people could fall further into poverty due to this burgeoning hunger crisis. (World Bank)
   
   
6. Addressing food supply involves working with farmers and community members toward lasting solutions.  In El Salvador LWR trains families in sustainable gardening practices and on the potential of gardens to help improve family nutrition. (LWR)
   
   
7. The pressure to farm on marginal lands results in more environmental degradation. (Bread for the World)
   
   
8. In Honduras, the quality of the land and soil is an ever-present challenge to adequate food supply.  LWR works in Honduras to train farmers in agro-forestry (using agriculture and forestry together to increase the effectiveness of both), soil management, and quality control. (LWR)
   
   
9. Hunger manifests itself in many ways other than starvation and famine. Most people who battle hunger deal with chronic undernourishment and vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which result in stunted growth, weakness and heightened susceptibility to illness.  (Bread for the World)
   
   
10. Almost 1 billion people live below the international poverty line, earning less than $1 per day. (The World Bank)
    
    
11. 82.5% of people in Nepal live on less than $2 a day.  LWR works in Nepal to train farmers in new agricultural technologies to increase their crop yield, boost local food supplies, improve nutrition, and provide additional income from the sale of surplus crops. (LWR)
    
    
12. The concentration of hunger in rural areas suggests that no sustained reduction in hunger is possible without special emphasis on agricultural and rural development. (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2006)
    
    
13. In Mali, LWR and its partners train people in soil conservation, proper maintenance, and crop diversification (to include rice, beans, and nontraditional crops such as shallots and sesame) to increase food production and improve nutrition (LWR)
    
    
14.  The World Food Program says 3.6 million of Niger’s 11.5 million people face food shortages, while 2.5 million are on the brink of starvation. (WFP)
    
    
15. Disaster can uproot all facets of life, making rebuilding livelihoods difficult.  In Indonesia, LWR is working with farmers whose farms, crops, and livestock were destroyed by the 2004 tsunami to rebuild their livelihoods by providing seeds and skills training. (LWR)
    
    
16. The number of chronically hungry people is growing by 4 million per year (FAO)
    
    
17. In Southern Sudan, LWR helps returning refugees establish stable communities by providing seeds, tools, and agricultural training to restart agricultural production. (LWR)
    
    
18. The world’s poorest people in developing countries spend up to 80 percent of their income to buy food. (Bread for the World)
    
    
19. Adequate water supply is foundational to adequate food supply.  In India, LWR and its partners work to improve water management for retention and irrigation — ensuring that there is enough water to grow food and manage livestock for years to come. (LWR)
    
    
20. LWR is fundamentally committed to increasing locally sustainable household food security through support to rural producers’ livelihoods. (LWR)

Fill the Bowl | Hunger Facts