We can have enough food.

• Author: Nor, Salleh Mohd
• Position: Globeglance

Only 3,500 calories of energy are needed by a person to live adequately for a day. Yet, the average consumption in the developed world exceeds 35,000 calories per day. Hunger is not something invited but forced upon by some unfortunate, ruthless man-made activities, economic forces, political upheavals and circumstances beyond the control of the individuals. It is not incorrigible. It can be overcome. We, as a human race, should wage a war against the tyranny of hunger. Much has been written about the issues of global hunger, but the basic issue of concern is, "why has it continued to exist?"

Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that: "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care." Yet, almost 53 years after its adoption, millions of people are going to sleep hungry every day. World food production is more than enough to feed everyone on earth; yet hunger still reigns in most parts of the world and remains a constant threat to humanity. Even developed countries cannot boast of being completely free from hunger and homelessness. Hunger has stricken 41 countries in the world, 33 of which are in sub-Saharan Africa where 186 million people live undernourished, 80 per cent of the children live with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), 70 percent of the adults live as AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) patients, and three quarters of the world's deaths by AIDS reduce overall life expectancy by ten to twenty years.

While in many countries obesity is a problem, even amongst the young, diseases related to diets and eating habits are on the rise and wastage is rampant; people in other countries do not get enough to sustain life. While technology moves at breakneck speed to make "the world a better place to live", a large portion of the human race is left without the basic needs for survival. While the cold war has been declared over, global expenditure on weaponry is still phenomenal. While we managed to send man to the moon, many are left without the basic needs for a decent living. While the number of millionaires and billionaires continues to increase despite the economic downturn in many parts of the world, there are many more who survive on less than $1 per day. While the majority in many developed, developing or less developed countries live in a world of excesses, many are denied the basic...