2015 GLOBAL

World hunger facts   Global web links   World child hunger facts

Delegates at climate talks focus on saving the world's forests Justin Gillis New York Times December 10, 2015 See HN special report Environment and hunger

The most unconventional weapon in Syria: Wheat Annia Ciezadlo Washington Post December 19, 2015

Central African Republic refugees at the Timangolo site in Cameroon, including mothers and young children, queue for food. Photo: ©UNHCR/Cameroon.Tijerina

60 million people have been forced to flee war  UNHCR December 18, 2015 See Hunger Notes special report on humanitarian  assistance

Lack of food means Syrian children face 'irreversible' health issues, says U.N. The U.N.’s World Food Program warns that funding problems mean vulnerable groups in Syria and neighbouring countries are not getting critical nutrients Harriet Grant The Guardian December 14, 2015

Bye, bye bananas Roberto A. Ferdman Washington Post December 4, 2015

Earth has lost a third of arable land in past 40 years, scientists say. Experts point to damage caused by erosion and pollution, raising major concerns about degraded soil amid surging global demand for food. Oliver Milman The Guardian December 2, 2015 See HN special report Environment and hunger

USDA report warns climate change likely to impede progress on global food security USDA December 2, 2015 See HN special report Environment and hunger

The Awa tribe is caught between a diminishing forest and the dangers posed by the contemporary world. Photo: Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post

In the Amazon, the ‘world’s most endangered tribe’ has few options Dom Phillips Washington Post December 1, 2015

A farm in Mato Grosso State in the cerrado, the vast savanna on the edge of the Amazon rain forest that is being razed for agricultural expansion. Photo: Marizilda Cruppe for The New York Times

TIAA-CREF, U.S. investment giant, accused of land grabs in Brazil Simon Romero New York Times November 16, 2015 See HN special repport: Trade and Hunger

Cotton is one of the most important fibre crops in the global textile industry. But many of the cotton farmers at the bottom of the very lucrative garment industry supply chain, do not receive a living income. Martine Parry The Guardian November 19, 2015

Can farms be good for nature without being organic? The organic-or-not debate ignores a crucial further option. Setting aside tracts of land for wildlife habitat can benefit bees, butterflies and plants without harming crop yields. Karl Mathiesen The Guardian November 18, 2015

Latin American legislators find new paths to fight hunger Aramis Castro and Milagros Salazar Inter Press Service November 19, 2015

Thirty million children, far from home. Here are three of them. (multimedia) Jake Silverstein New York Times November 5, 2015 Also see World hunger photos: the stories and images of poor people's lives

Terraces built by Atacameño Indians in the village of Caspana in Alto Loa, in the northern Chilean region of Antofagasta. This ageold farming technique represents an adaptation to the climate, and ensures the right to food of these Andes highlands people. Photo: Marianela Jarroud/IPS

Terrace farming--an ancient indigenous model for food security Marianela Jarroud Inter Press Service October 21, 2015

Parched earth following a drought in northern Afghanistan. The region has been hit by increasingly unpredictable weather, with most experts agreeing it is an effect of climate change. Photo: Joe Dyke/IRIN

Climate change and conflict: it’s complicated.  Sharing scarce water resourses will be major issue. Philippa Garson IRIN News October 20, 2015  See HN special report Environment and hunger

International food security assessment: Past progress and prospects through 2025 Stacey Rosen and Birgit Meade Amber Waves October 5, 2015

The Right to Food and Nutrition 2015 released FIAN International October 12, 2015  See Hunger Notes special report on the right to food

2015 Global Hunger Index released  International Food Policy Research Institute October 13, 2015

The Islamic State justice system is brutal and often arbitrary, according to interviews with people who live there or recently fled. In this photo, a man accused of stealing sits in a jail cell with his hand cut off. (Photo obtained by The Washington Post)

Life in the Islamic State: Spoils for the rulers, terror for the ruled Kevin Sullivan Washington Post October 1, 2015. Also see HN fact sheet "Harmful economic systems as a cause of hunger and poverty," especially the section on keeping people oppressed.

Lack of local land rights harms fight against poverty, climate change study says. Ten percent of land in 64 countries analysed is owned by indigenous people and local communities, and 8 percent is controlled or managed by them, yet they claim or have customary use of as much as 65 percent of the world's land area.. Megan Rowling Reuters September 30, 2015 
Access the report Who Owns the World’s Land? A global baseline of formally recognized indigenous and community land rights. Also see HN fact sheet "Harmful economic systems as a cause of hunger and poverty," especially the section on obtaining income.

Why world leaders dined on trash at the U.N. Peter Holley Washington Post September 28, 2015

Shiar and Shireen Kanjo are Syrian refugees. But, first and foremost, they are an English teacher and a civil engineering undergraduate who dreams of becoming an architect. Photo: Daniel Elkan/IRIN

Humans of Syria: Objects of pity or attractive prospective employees? Daniel Elkan IRIN News September 28, 2014 Also see World hunger photos: the stories and images of poor people's lives.

International food security assessment: Past progress and prospects through 2025 Stacey Rosen and Birgit Meade Amber Waves October 5, 2015

The Right to Food and Nutrition 2015 released FIAN International October 12, 2015  See Hunger Notes special report on the right to food

2015 Global Hunger Index released  International Food Policy Research Institute October 13, 2015

Understanding hunger Molly Anders Devex October 7, 2014 See more nutrition articles

 

Christopher Olanya follows his youngest son's lead as he returns home from a village health meeting in Uganda's Lamwo district. Olanya likely lost his vision due to the parasitic disease onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, but he is grateful that regular Mectizan® (ivermectin) treatments, donated by Merck, will save others from a similar fate. Photo: The Carter Center/E. Echwalu

Three win Nobel Prize in medicine for work on tropical diseases river blindness, filariasis, and malaria Brady Dennis and Lenny Bernstein Washington Post October 5, 2015 See more health articles

The Islamic State justice system is brutal and often arbitrary, according to interviews with people who live there or recently fled. In this photo, a man accused of stealing sits in a jail cell with his hand cut off. (Photo obtained by The Washington Post)

Life in the Islamic State: Spoils for the rulers, terror for the ruled Kevin Sullivan Washington Post October 1, 2015. Also see HN fact sheet "Harmful economic systems as a cause of hunger and poverty," especially the section on keeping people oppressed.

Lack of local land rights harms fight against poverty, climate change study says. Ten percent of land in 64 countries analysed is owned by indigenous people and local communities, and 8 percent is controlled or managed by them, yet they claim or have customary use of as much as 65 percent of the world's land area.. Megan Rowling Reuters September 30, 2015 
Access the report Who Owns the World’s Land? A global baseline of formally recognized indigenous and community land rights. Also see HN fact sheet "Harmful economic systems as a cause of hunger and poverty," especially the section on obtaining income.

Shiar and Shireen Kanjo are Syrian refugees. But, first and foremost, they are an English teacher and a civil engineering undergraduate who dreams of becoming an architect. Photo: Daniel Elkan/IRIN

Humans of Syria: Objects of pity or attractive prospective employees? Daniel Elkan IRIN News September 28, 2014 Also see World hunger photos: the stories and images of poor people's lives

The Global Seed Vault in Longyearbyen. Photo: Bob Srong/Planet Ark

Syrian war spurs first withdrawal from doomsday Arctic seed vaults Alister Doyle Planet Ark September 22, 2015

Malnutrition linked to nearly half of deaths among under-fives. Global nutrition study claims poor diet affects 161 million children and 1.9 billion adults and calls for more indicators in sustainable development goals. Clár Ní Chonghaile The Guardian September 16, 2015  See more nutrition articles

World food prices fall sharply in August, extending slide Isla Binnie Reuters September 10, 2015

Kale or steak? Change in diet key to U.N. plan to end hunger by 2030 Chris Arsenault Reuters September 10, 2015

Women's prospects limited by law in 155 countries, World Bank study finds. Two decades after Beijing declaration on gender equality, women’s economic opportunities and working rights still widely subject to restrictive legislation. Liz Ford and Mark Anderson The Guardian September 9, 2015 Access full report. Also see HN fact sheet "Harmful economic systems as a cause of hunger and poverty," especially the section on restricting entry.

Protesters outside the presidential palace in Guatemala City last week calling for the resignation of President Otto Pérez Molina and an end to what many see as political impunity. Photo: Josue Decavele/Reuters

New test for Guatemala's protest movement: Improving citizens' lives Elisabeth Malkin New York Times September 16, 2015
How a peaceful political uprising happened in war-scarred Guatemala Joshua Partlow Washington Post September 5, 2015
Guatemalan president quits amid corruption scandal Joshua Partlow Washington Post September 3, 2015
Guatemala's corruption investigations make swift strides Azam Ahmed New York Times August 25, 2015 Also see HN fact sheet "Harmful economic systems as a cause of hunger and poverty," especially the section on reducing harm.

Children play amid garbage at an informal Syrian refugee settlement near Zahle, Lebanon. Photo: Sam Tarling/The Washington Post

UN agency forced to cut food aid to 229,000 Syrian refugees Karin Laub Associated Press September 4, 2015
As tragedies shock Europe, a bigger refugee crisis looms in the Middle East Liz Sly Washington Post August 29, 2015

Expanding web of scandal in Brazil threatens further upheaval Simon Romero New York Times August 21, 2015

Miguel Ramirez training family farmers on seed bank management. Photo: MAOES.  

Agroecology as a tool for liberation: Transforming industrial agribusiness in El Salvador (An interview with Miguel Ramirez, National Coordinator of the Organic Agriculture Movement of El Salvador)  Beverly Bell Other Worlds August 12, 2015

Mapped: A world at war IRIN News July 30, 2015  See Hunger Notes special report on humanitarian assistance

A mother eats lunch with her children in a rural Mexican school, as part of one of the programs that fall under the umbrella of the Crusade Against Hunger. Photo: Government of Mexico

Mexico's anti-poverty programs are losing the battle Emilio Godoy Inter Press Service August 5, 2015

Thai and Burmese fishing boat workers sit inside a cell at the compound of a fishing company in Benjina, Indonesia on Nov. 22, 2014. The imprisoned men were considered slaves who might run away. Photo: Dita Alangkara/AP

Beyond brothels: Farms and fisheries are frontier of human trafficking Tracie McMillan NPR July 28, 2015

Women farmers in Myanmar. In rural areas, pro-poor investments should support family farmers and other small-holders in a variety of ways. Photo: FAO  

An additional $160 per year for each person living in extreme poverty over a 15 year period will end chronic hunger, new UN estimates show Food and Agriculture Organization July 10, 2015 See full report Achieving Zero Hunger

Pope Francis greets a child in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on Thursday. Photo: Gregorio Borgia/Associated Press

Pope calls for ‘globalization of hope,’ warns against temptations of materialism during South American tour Francis X. Rocca Wall Street Journal July 9, 2015 Pope to activists: Defend the earth, demand economic reform Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service  July 9, 2015

Spread of global conflict transforming humanitarian work, says Red Cross chief  Sam Jones The Guardian July 8, 2015  See Hunger Notes special report on humanitarian assistance

UN: 15-year push ends extreme poverty for a billion people. Ban Ki-moon hails achievements of millennium development goals but warns world still riven by inequality Sam Jones The Guardian July 6, 2015 What progress has been made on each of the millennium development goals? Achilleas Galatsidas The Guardian July 6, 2015 See Hunger Notes special report on development assistance

The humanitarian economy: Where is all the money going? Christian Els and Nils Carstensen IRIN News July 1, 2015 See Hunger Notes special report on development assistance

Why are bees hurting? A lineup of suspects Nathanael Johnson Grist June 25, 2015 A plea for bees (video)  Dennis vanEnglesdorp TED June 2008

Harvested corn drying on a rooftop in Himachal Pradesh, India. Efforts at ending hunger are now focusing on reducing poverty rather than increasing production. Photo: Neil Palmer/CIAT  

A road map for eradicating world hunger Beth Gardiner New York Times June 24, 2015

60 million people fleeing chaotic lands, UN says Somni Sengupta  New York Times June 18, 2015

Pope Francis, in sweeping encyclical, calls for swift action on climate change Jim Yardley and Laurie Goodstein New York Times June 18, 2015 Read the encyclical letter (English)  See HN special report Environment and Hunger

A doctor attends a 10-month-old baby in a public health centre in Bolivia, in one of the regular check-ups that are a requisite for women to receive the mother-child subsidy, one of the mechanisms created to reduce maternal and infant mortality in the country. Photo: Franz Chávez/IPS

Inequality blocks further reduction in child mortality in Latin America Marianela Jarroud Inter Press Service June 9, 2015

Food distribution in a town in the Mexican state of Tabasco through one of the many government programs created in Latin America in the last 15 years to fight hunger. Photo: Mauricio Ramos/IPS

Latin America's relative success in fighting hunger Marianela Jarroud Inter Press Service May 27, 2015

Cascada Barba de Abuelo, a waterfall in Aitken Park in the southern Chilean region of Aysén. Although the region has some of the world’s biggest freshwater reserves, local residents have to pay for the water they use for household needs and irrigation. Photo: Marianela Jarroud/IPS

Laissez faire water laws threaten family farming in Chile Marianela Jarroud Inter Press Service May 27, 2015

U.N. reports about 200 million fewer hungry people than in 1990 Rick Gladstone New York Times May 27, 2015 See F.A.O. world hunger map

Procession in San Salvador honoring Archbishop Romero. Photo: Rodrigo Arangua/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Salvadorans flock to honor beloved Archbishop on path to sainthood Elisabeth Malkin New York Times May 24, 2015 Honor comes late to Óscar Romero, a martyr for the poor Elisabeth Malkin New York Times May 23, 2015 Salvador Archbishop assassinated by sniper while officiating at Mass New York Times March 25, 1980

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria seeks input into 2017-21 strategy Hunger Notes May 25, 2015  

Agriculture and cattle ranching threatening global rainforests Vanessa Dezem Bloomberg News May 21, 2015 See HN special report Environment and Hunger

Feeding ourselves thirsty: how the food sector is managing global water risks Ceres May 2015

This hunter is a member of the Waorani community, an Amazonian indigenous people who live in eastern Ecuador. According to United Nations estimates, upwards of 370 million indigenous people are spread out over 70 countries worldwide. Between them, they speak over 5,000 languages. Photo:: Courtesy Nicolas Villaume, Land is Life

Living the indigenous way, from the jungles to the mountains Stephen Leahy Inter Press Service May 8, 2015

Rizelle, 17, and her three-week-old baby. Rizelle lives in a squatted home under a bridge in San Dionisio, Indonesia. Photo: Save the Children

Urban slums a deathtrap for poor children Valentina Ieri Inter Press Service May 8, 2015 See Save the Children’s annual report on the State of the World’s Mothers 2015

Does community-driven aid need a makeover?  Obinna Anyadike IRIN News April 27, 2015  See Hunger Notes special report Development Assistance

Migrants grasped the hull of a boat that ran aground near the Greek island of Rhodes on April 20, 2015. So far in 2015, about 1,500 people have died aboard smuggling ships bound for Europe. Photo: Loukas Mastis/European Pressphoto Agency  

Rising toll on migrants leaves Europe in crisis; 900 may be dead at sea Jim Yardley New York Times April 20, 2015

An Arara indigenous village along the Volta Grande (Big Bend) of the Xingú River, whose flow will be severely reduced when a large part of the water is diverted in a canal that will feed into the Belo Monte dam, which will be the third-largest hydropower station in the world. Photo: Mario Osava/IPS  

Deforestation in the Amazon aggravates Brazil's energy crisis Mario Osava Inter Press Service April 13, 2015

World Health Day 2015: From farm to plate, make food safe Hunger Notes April 7, 2015
World Health Day 2015: Five food safety tips Judy Stone Forbes April 7, 2015

Greenhouses grow greenhouses. As far as the eye can see, greenhouses cover the landscape in Almeria, Spain. ‘We are slaves in the sense that we depend for our daily survival upon an expand-or-expire agro-industrial empire – a crackpot machine – that the specialists cannot comprehend and the managers cannot manage. Which is, furthermore, devouring world resources at an exponential rate.’ Edward Abbey.  Photo: Yann Arthus Bertrand 

Overpopulation, overconsumption—in pictures. How do you raise awareness about population explosion? One group thought that the simplest way would be to show people.  The Guardian April 1, 2015 See HN special report Environment and hunger

Weed killer, long cleared, is doubted Andrew Pollack New York Times March 27,2015
W.H.O report links ingredient in Roundup, the world's most popular weedkiller, to cancer Reuters New York Times March 20, 2015

6 graphs explain the world's top ten emitters Mengpin Ge, Johannes Friedrich and Thomas Damassa World Resources Institute November 25, 2014  See HN special report Environment and hunger

THE CENTER OF POWER President Michel Martelly of Haiti, center, seated between Prime Minister Evans Paul, whose predecessor was ousted in December, and Sophia Martelly, the first lady, who has been targeted in a corruption complaint. Photo: Hector Retamal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Haitian leader's power grows as scandals swirl Frances Robles New York Times March 16, 2015 See HN special report: Harmful economic systems

Workers on strike at the Sixaola plantation in Costa Rica’s Caribbean region rest after sharing a pot of beans, while they wait for news from the leaders of their trade union about the conflict with the transnational corporation Fresh Del Monte. Photo: Fabián Hernández Mena/IPS

Banana workers’ strike highlights abuses by corporations in Costa Rica Diego Arguedas Ortiz Inter Press Service March 18, 2015

Syria: Four years on, an unimaginable toll IRIN News March 12, 2015
Alienation and violence: Impact of Syria crisis report 2014  ReleifWeb March 10, 2015 Access full report 
UN has failed Syria: NGOs Joe Dyke IRIN News March 12, 2015

Climate change probably worsened the drought that caused severe crop failure  that preceded Syria's uprising, a new study suggests. Here, a refugee camp is seen in Syria near the Turkish border town of Cilvegozu. Photo: Gregorio Borgia / Associated Press

Is Syria conflict a case study for climate change and hunger-related conflict? Geoffrey Mohan Los Angeles Times March 4, 2015  See full report See HN special report Environment and hunger

Mandating food insecurity: The global impacts of rising biofuel mandates and targets Timothy A. Wise and Emily Cole Global Development and Environmental Institute at Tufts University March 4, 2015

What refugees really think of aid agencies Louise Redvers IRIN News March 5, 2015 See Hunger Notes special report on humanitarian assistance

Will sustainable palm oil surge exclude small farmers? Megan Rowling PlanetArk February 25, 2015

UN: World eating too much sugar; cut to 5-10 percent of diet Maria Cheng  Associated Press/Myway March 4, 2015  

A protest against rising food prices in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad in July 2014. Photo: Amit Dave/Reuters

Where and why food prices lead to social upheaval Cullen S. Hendrix and Stephan M. Haggard Washington Post February 22, 2015

Beatrice Alvitsa holds a bag of cement: higher millet yields are enabling her to rebuild her home in Kenya. Photo: Mark Anderson/The Guardian

Battle to feed the world pits small farmers against big agriculture. Do small-scale farmers hold the key to fulfilling global goals on hunger and poverty? Or can they only be achieved by large-scale agriculture? Mark Anderson The Guardian February 19, 2015

Sundown’s fading light shows the destruction in the Sha’af neighborhood of Gaza City after the summer war between Israel and Hamas. Photo: Heidi Levine/Washington Post

War punishes Gaza. Half a year after devastating hostilities, life in the region seems worse than ever. Thousands remain displaced, internal violence is increasing – and Hamas is preparing for battle. William Booth Washington Post February 13, 2015

Pope Francis is seen on a giant screen during his video address to a session of 500 experts drafting the so-called Milan Charter that seeks commitments from governments, organizations and individuals to resolve such issues as food security, decreasing food waste and ensuring biodiversity in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 7, 2015. Pope Francis emphasized the right to food as fundamental saying the paradox of abundance described by Pope John Paul II -- whereby there is food for everyone yet not everyone can eat -- continues to be an issue. Photo: AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Pope addresses right to food in address to 500 experts Colleen Barry Associated Press February 7, 2015  See HN special report The right to food

Neeraj Jagga bought this apartment in a 4,000-unit complex near New Delhi but said construction had barely progressed in three years. The developer, Kabul Chawla, has been the subject of numerous consumer complaints. Photo: Graham Crouch/ New York Times

Amid complaints in India, a real estate deal in Manhattan Stephanie Stall and Louise Story New York Times February 9, 2015 See more in this series Towers of secrecy: Streams of wealth flow to elite New York real estate  See HN special report Harmful economic systems: Obtaining income

New report urges Western governments to reconsider reliance on biofuels Justin Gillis New York Times January 28, 2015  Access World Resources Institute report  See HN special report Environment and hunger

With pollinator declines, millions at risk of malnutrition Seed Daily January 28, 2015   See research article Do pollinators contribute to nutritional health? PLoSONE April 2014 See HN special report Environment and hunger

Developing countries lose an estimated $990 billion dollars annually in illicit financial flows General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church  January 30, 2015 Access full report  See Hunger Notes special report Trade and hunger

Richest 1 percent will own more than rest combined by 2016, Oxfam report says Al Jazeera America January 19, 2015 Access full report

Peruvian National Police burn an illegal gold mining camp in the Madre de Dios region of the Peruvian Amazon. After years of turning a blind eye to nearly 40,000 illegal miners in the Madre de Dios region, officials are moving to halt environmental damage. Photo: Dominic Bracco II/Prime for The Washington Post

South American commodity boom drives deforestation and land conflicts Nick Miroff Washington Post January 1, 2015 See HN special report Hunger, the environment and climate change

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