Hunger pains

Despite an overall decline in the levels of extreme poverty in recent years, we are still witnessing social and economic deprivation.

Progress in alleviating poverty has to be accompanied by better living standards; equality; increased levels of educational attainment; food security; access to health facilities; and improved environmental conditions. Unfortunately, the situation is somewhat contradictory in many developing countries where the prevalence of food insecurity and malnourishment is much higher. In addition, these developing countries are exposed to several socioeconomic evils that exacerbated the situation.

According to the UN World Food Program (WFP), almost 902 million people are malnourished and 60 percent of these undernourished people belong to South Asia and parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. The proportion of malnourished children below the age of five exceeds half of the population of these regions. Almost 2.7 million children under the age of five die every year due to malnourishment.

The situation is no different in Pakistan, which is also a developing country. Pakistan is an agricultural country that is listed as the 26th largest economy of the world in terms of purchasing power and one of the world’s leading exporter of agricultural products. Even though Pakistan is self-sufficient in producing staple crops (wheat and rice) and is considered to be a food-surplus country, the poor lack physical and socioeconomic access to adequate food supply.

The Global Hunger Index 2018 listed Pakistan on the 106th position among 119 developing countries. Pakistan lags behind India and many African countries. The situation is expected to worsen in the coming years, with the increasing threats of climate change. This poses a serious impediment to achieving food security, a nutritious diet, high levels of poverty reduction, and the sustainable development goals.

Almost half of the country’s population is below the age of 20. As a result, the vulnerability to food insecurity and hunger remains a threat for the people of Pakistan. Statistics reveal that 44 percent of children in Pakistan are suffering from stunting, wasting or acute malnutrition. This is indeed an alarming situation for policymakers and raises serious questions about the performance of previous governments and management authorities.

Human poverty is undoubtedly the fundamental impetus for food insecurity. However, the relationship between food security, malnourishment and poverty has remained a subject of conceptual debate in the development arena. It is pertinent to note that the ability to buy food doesn’t ensure equal access to food among all people and at all points in time.

There is no denying the fact that food insecurity is the outcome of various types of poverty that arise from economic, social and biological deprivations. However, economic poverty underlies the basic cause of food insecurity. Poverty affects food and nutrition security that, in turn, leads to poverty.

Long-term food insecurity and malnourishment impact our capacity to function in all spheres of life. They destroy people’s physical and mental productivity to develop cognitive skills in order to reach their full potential. It also hinders their ability to contribute to their country’s economic growth and reduces their potential through poor academic performance, health deterioration and lack of decent employment opportunities.

This ultimately pushes individuals, households or communities to remain within or fall deeper into the poverty trap. improving healthcare facilities is considered to be an essential precondition to escape the cycle of poverty. It has vast long-term effects on people’s economic productivity during adulthood.

The causes of child malnutrition are interrelated and multi-sectoral, and involve many different aspects of life. Food insecurity, the poor nutritional status of mothers, low education levels among mothers, suboptimal breastfeeding practices by mothers, frequent infections, lower utilisation of health services and care provided to children are considered to be the fundamental causes of malnourishment. These factors need to be addressed at the state level with utmost attention. Moreover, variations in food prices; high energy cost; climate change; and uncertainties within financial markets are some of the major impediments to food security.

While various definitions of food security emphasise different dimensions of the process, there is a broad consensus among development experts that food insecurity and malnourishment has grave consequences on people’s socioeconomic life and a country’s ability to achieve sustainable development goals. It is a positive sign that our prime minister is concerned about the prevalence of stunting and wasting among children in Pakistan as he addressed the issue during his first official speech to the nation in August 2018.

The incumbent government needs to take effective nutrition interventions, with a primary focus on malnourishment at all levels. The commitment to ending hunger will only reap any benefits if strict action is taken by the federal and provincial governments.

In addition, a national policy to combat food insecurity and malnourishment must integrate a holistic approach by taking into consideration all the relevant stakeholders who would otherwise fail to achieve this target. This is the right time and opportunity for the federal government to follow through with its promise of building Naya Pakistan and meet people’s expectations.

The writer is pursuing an MPhil in development studies at the Lahore School of Economics.

Email: samqk11@gmail.com