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Some regions around the world do not have such legislation to protect workers and thus trading between Food Producers and buyers can often be unfair or reduce food availability. The fairtrade movement aims to create long-term trading with food producers in developing nations to ensure they receive a guaranteed price for their produce. This is also one of the Millennium Development Goals adopted by 189 nations, including Australia, as part of the United Nations Millennium Summit in September 2000.
PROVISION OF AID
Enough food is produced throughout the whole world to feed everyone, however, not everyone has access to food or can afford it. Some countries over produce food, so a lot of wastage occurs, but others produce too little food, resulting in a food shortage. Aid agencies benefit people and communities suffering from food shortages occurring from either natural disasters or conflict. Food aid comes in many forms, the most common being shipped from country to country or paid for by a donor and bought locally.
After sudden disasters, such as earthquakes or tsunamis, emergency operations and relief aid are provided to the affected country. Aid agencies are quick to help with the supply of food, water, medical supplies and many people to help take care of the injured and to hand out bedding and clothes. Lots of aid agencies are funded by the government but rely on volunteers to run the humanitarian work.
Development aid is provided to communities over a certain period of time to help a country become independent after a disaster. During these programs, volunteers work with the people of the community to grow food successfully, establish a safe water supply and train people in the villages to act as health care workers. They also educate the community about nutrition and sustainable land use. The overall aim for these programs is to reduce and eventually eliminate the communities need for aid.
All of the aid agencies aim to improve health outcomes and food equity for all people who are suffering. Some aid agencies include: Enterprise Development, Red Cross, Austcare, Oxfam Australia, Care Australia and Actionaid. Care Australia for example, is the largest non political, non religious overseas aid organisation in the country, providing assistance to countries all over the world. Their program benefits more than 65 million people in over 70 countries. Their work includes emergency relief and reconstruction, agriculture and environment, education, health, nutrition, water and sanitation. Their long term projects are renowned for being creative and very effective.
Clean water is a finite resource. It is under threat from over-use and pollution
Health is dependent on clean water in sufficient quantity and safe, sanitary conditions.
Poor hygiene and unsafe water quickly spreads disease. (Give Examples)
80% of farmers in developing countries are subsistence farmers. Many are women.
Food Security:
Definition-
Malnutrition is the lack of food and nutrients a person takes in. Malnutrition is not only a lack of food, it can also be the wrong mixture of foods and also over-eating and the resulting obesity.
Effects-
Malnutrition can lead to very serious and permanent effects on a child's growth and development if it is an ongoing issue or if it presents itself at a young age. These effects are many, including lethargy and withdrawal, delayed development of motor skills such as walking or crawling, brain damage and delayed intellectual development. All of these effects can result in lack of education, meaning no job which leads to poverty. It is a constant cycle that is hard to break out of.
Types of Malnutrition-
Kwashiorkor:
Kwashiorkor is a result of inadequate protein intake. Symptoms that develop in the early stages of Kwashiorkor include fatigue, lethargy and irritability. If nothing is done about these symptoms, which is most likely to be the case in underdeveloped or developing countries, symptoms can include growth failure, loss of muscle mass, generalised swelling (which in many cases is in the stomach) and decreased immunity.
Marasmus:
Marasmus is a severe type of malnutrition linked to energy deficiency. Children often look emaciated and symptoms include dramatic weight loss (reduced to 80% of the normal weight for the child's height), extensive tissue and muscle wasting and also many loose skin folds.
Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa:
Although developed countries have a more accessible food supply, this doesn't mean that malnutrition doesn't occur. Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa can lead to severe malnutrition and can cause long term effects such as depression and other mental health issues, infertility, dental erosion, anaemia and osteoporosis. The difference between these types of malnutrition and malnutrition in developing countries is that it is a choice the person makes as opposed to economics and a lack of food.
Enough food is produced in the world to feed everyone; however, the availability varies enormously. The amount of food produced in many developing countries is insufficient to feed the population, and they may experience severe food shortages.
Many areas around the world are unsuitable to produce crops. There can be many reasons for this and can include remote or inaccessible locations, mountainous countryside, poor soil for crops and also extreme weather. The countries that are unable to grow crops rely on imported foods and good transportation channels to supply the population's food needs.
Worldwide climatic changes are likely to impact the global food security in many ways. Climate change is already bringing unpredictable weather patterns at unseasonable times. This damages crops.
Higher temperatures and drier winters are melting the largest ice caps. Rising sea levels threaten to flood low-lying crops and can reduce the availability of safe drinking water.
Climate change is causing crops to not to grow which is leading countries to become more dependent on imported foods. With this comes political and economic consequences.
Along with climate and weather, there are also natural disasters that can lead to food shortages. This occurs mostly when hit with flood or drought. Individuals and communities during this time are forced to rely on aid organisations to provide food aid.
Drought is the most common natural cause and prime contributor to famine in arid and semiarid regions. The income families would have received from their crops would be cut off or reduced for and extended period of time
Traditionally, food is acquired by farming, raising animals, growing crops and fishing. In developed countries, the food supply relies on agriculture, aqua farming and fish farming techniques. All of these aim to maximise the amount of food whilst minimising the cost. In developing countries land owners produce food for a global market. Much of the land is controlled by huge multinationals.
Cash cropping is growing crops for market sale only and is not available for farmers and their families. This makes the food supply in developing countries hard for people to obtain as land is owned by the wealthy few.
Subsistence farming is a self sufficient agricultural practice where farmers grow only enough food to feed their families. The success of this is dependent on the weather, the type of crops planted and the farming techniques used.
The wealth of a country is measured by its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It is calculated by adding up the dollar value of all the goods and services produced by the country in a year.
The Gross National Income of a country's citizens is calculated by dividing the GDP by the size of the population.
Families and individuals access to financial resources determines their ability to obtain the food they need. their ability to earn income is based on:
Level of education affects choices about nutrition, safe storage and preparation of food.
Nutrition education in Australia comes from the Australian Dietary Guidelines.
A community's religious and cultural beliefs often dictate many daily practices within the group. Cultures and religions link us to certain ideals and traditions. This regards the way one would live their life, the actions they performed and also the foods they ate.
The cultural and religious beliefs of a group may also dictate what types of foods the people in that group can have.
Low education levels limit knowledge about nutrition and physical health and may lead to inadequate knowledge about preparation and cooking methods as well as farming techniques. This is a big factor in food availability because only basic food can be made which might not be as healthy or may lack some essential vitamins and minerals. Also, not knowing any farming techniques will limit the amount of food a village will be able to have.
Developing countries don't participate or participate in a small way in the world market as a result of trade restrictions and taxes placed on imported processed foods as well as the distance between producer and consumer.
Low education levels limit knowledge about nutrition and physical health and may lead to inadequate knowledge about preparation and cooking methods as well as farming techniques. This is a big factor in food availability because only basic food can be made which might not be as healthy or may lack some essential vitamins and minerals. Also, not knowing any farming techniques will limit the amount of food a village will be able to have.
These groups don't have equal access to food compared to people living in the city. The transportation of the food adds an additional cost onto the produce as the trucks/boats/aeroplanes have to travel further to deliver the produce. As a result of the long travel time, the produce is not as fresh and can cost a lot more.
People who don't have jobs or have a very low income will experience food inequity because they will not be able to or will struggle to afford the rent, electricity, gas and will only be able to buy cheap food which in most cases is processed and not as nutritious. As well as not being able to afford these things, people with low incomes in most cases will lack proper education about nutritional needs. As a result of these barriers stopping people with low income, tough decisions have to be made each day regarding the spending of the small amount of money earned that day. People living in developing countries with a low income experience much harsher living conditions that those in developed countries experience. As a result of this, the decisions they make with what to do with their money will have greater implications with their survival. Often, people in developing countries find food equity a major problem as they are trapped in the poverty cycle which they find hard to break out of because of lack of employment opportunities.
Women in many countries are the primary caregivers. In poor countries women often have few opportunities for self improvement. Often situations in poor countries bad to poor food inequity for women. women are an important roll in the well being of children and young children are reliant on mothers.
Those suffering from a physical disability will lack the mobility to shop for and prepare food. Their disability might prevent them from being able to carry grocery bags or open a can of food. Therefore, a family member or friend is depended on a lot more for providing meals. People suffering from an intellectual disability will often have a smaller amount of job opportunities, leading to a smaller income. This will limit the amount or type of food they can buy. As well as not being able to afford nutritious food, a person suffering from an intellectually based disability will often not have the correct knowledge of nutrition, further restricting them from accessing nutritious food. In addition to a low income and not having the correct knowledge, individuals with an intellectual disability will struggle reading labels on food products and also reading recipes.
Floods and drought may bring on a famine that can last for years. This can affect the soil; if its too dry or wet crops will not grow, vastly reducing the amount of food an area obtains.
When war occurs and people are displaced, governments spend money on the military rather than food. During a war it is unsafe and often unsuitable for people to look after crops and cattle. As a result of it being unsafe, families may be forced to leave their farms and countries. In many cases, the small amount of food grown is given to men to provide energy for fighting, leaving little food for women and children.
Multinationals are powerful and can force farmers to sell their land. The farmers get a short term gain in the form of some cash but long term have lost their ability to feed their family and produce extra crops for resale.
Technological advancements such as packaging, preservation and processing of food have enhanced the availability of food around the world. Developments such as genetically modified food could solve the worlds food supply problem but GM food is a tricky issue as we don't know the full effects on our health from eating GM food.
People who are chronically ill will have a limited diet as a result of the treatment they are under going or the illness. If a person is chronically ill they may not be able to work, lowering their income and as a result their food intake. As well as paying for food, they would have to pay for medication, doctors appointments and any other medical treatments. Paying for all of these things would be expensive and would leave little money for food.
The elderly require access to nutritious fresh food in order to help keep their bodily functions running and to keep their immune system strong in order to fight diseases. Vitamins and minerals are extremely important for the elderly but the need for energy is lower due to physical limitations. Softer food also need to be considered as these are easier for the elderly to eat. Elderly living in aged care homes often have nutritious meals but they have a limited choice. Those living at home with someone else may struggle a bit more as they may lack mobility making it hard to go to the shops and prepare food.
Many Aboriginal Australians live in rural Australia, far away from shops and communities. This makes access to food a lot harder than it would be if they lived in the city. They also may lack enough water to grow crops and to be self sufficient. The small amount of water that they have access to would be saved as drinking water. Aboriginal Australians generally have a poor education which leads to a lack of employment when they are older. As a result of this, they don't have a lot of money to spend on food nor do they have the correct knowledge. Aboriginals that choose to live a more traditional lifestyle like their ancestors, live off the land and use traditional cooking methods, which means no or very little money is spent on food.
Drugs and alcohol can be very addictive and can sometimes take over someone's life. The money spent on alcohol and drugs when someone is addicted greatly reduces the amount that can be spent on food. The addiction may lead to unemployment further resulting in no income for nutritious food. The effects alcohol and drugs can have on you affect your health in such a negative way. It can cause malnutrition through loss of appetite and the reduction of nutrient absorption. It may affect how you function physically too, reducing your motivation to shop for and prepare nutritious food. Those addicted are more concerned about getting more drugs or alcohol rather than a decent meal.