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However, the problem of global poverty and hunger is not just a moral challenge. For the financially minded, the good news is that addressing the problem is far cheaper than ignoring it.
For example, let's take a closer look at Millennium Development Goal One, which aims, among other things, to halve hunger by 2015. According to the UN, to reach this goal, an extra $40 billion in aid is needed each year to support agricultural and food security programs that increase self-sufficiency in food production.
To put that in perspective, a recent ActionAid report found hunger was costing poor nations more than $450 billion annually through reduced worker productivity, poor health and lost education. That means fighting hunger is now 10 times cheaper than ignoring it.
In India, one of the world's emerging global economic successes, one in five of the population is hungry and close to half of all children are malnourished.
It's not all bad news, however. By investing more in local agriculture, governments can feed their people and regenerate rural economies.
Recent research has pointed to the vital role that agriculture played in China's initial take-off.
Agriculture was estimated to have contributed to poverty reduction four times more than growth in the manufacturing or service sectors.
Meanwhile, many other countries have slashed hunger rates by increasing investment in small-scale farmers - in particular women farmers.
Safety nets are also important to help small farmers keep planing and harvesting through tough times.
Archie Law is chief executive of anti-poverty agency Action Aid Australia
So what does that mean? it started us thinking about the link between both.
poverty = is the deprivation of food, shelter, money and clothing that occurs when people cannot satisfy their basic needs. Poverty can be understood simply as a lack of money, or more broadly in terms of barriers to everyday life.
hunger = When relief workers and social scientists talk about people suffering from hunger, they usually refer to those who are unable to eat sufficient food to meet their basic nutritional needs for a sustained period of time.
If communities can learn to be self sufficient, they can become more economically viable and in turn, begin to resolve the issue of hunger. Sound so simple!
The next issue of government assistance should take the form of education, implementation of programs and funding. In many cases, there are very good initiates inplemented.
Then we can ask, how is it that people actually go hungry when the NSW Government shows that the average NSW household throws out $1,036 of food per annum
