The Meriam Webster dictionary definition of hunger is a craving or urgent need for food or a specific nutrient.
Another definition is a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by a lack of food, coupled with the desire to
eat. Descriptions that every single one of us can relate to as at what time or the other we have all experienced
this feeling of hunger.
In politics, humanitarian aid and the social sciences hunger is defined as a condition in which a person is unable
to eat sucient food to meet their basic nutritional needs for a sustained period thus impacting their ability to
lead a normal, active and healthy life. In the field of hunger relief, the term hunger is used in a sense that goes
beyond the common desire for food that all humans experience .
The United Nations Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) uses the 'Prevalence of Undernourishment' indicator
to estimate the extent of hunger in the world and this is the globally recognized and accepted approach for
defining and measuring hunger. Thus 'hunger' may also be referred to as chronic undernourishment.
Food insecurity and hunger are interlinked. An individual or family are considered food
insecure when they are uncertain about where their next meal will come from; according
to the FAO people that don't have regular access to safe and nutritious food for normal
growth and development and an active and healthy life are food insecure .
Food insecurity can be experienced at dierent levels as outlined below using the Food
Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES)
Over
690 million
people (8.9% of the world) go to bed on an empty stomach
An estimated
100 million
more people became chronically hungry because of the pandemic
226.7 million
people (1 in 4 Africans) suffer from hunger
~ 50%
of the populace live below the poverty line
Nigeria ranked
103rd of 116
countries in terms of hunger (2021
Global Hunger Index)
An estimated
82 million
Nigerians (4 in 10 people) live below the poverty line