EAP 1600 Hunger Project

1. What are the issues that affect food security and nutrition in your country?

The Philippines is a country in which 47% of its land is agricultural. In 1998, the agricultural production has decreased in -7.2% because of El Niño and La Niña phenomena. In the last year the impact of the Nesat and Nalgae typhoons was adverse, over 4 million people have affected by the disaster and also it has affected the rice crops, causing lose of 728.739 tones of paddy which is the 4.4% of the national production.

However, the prices of rice and maize have remained stable and also rainfalls during the 2011/12 crop season have had benefits on planting and crop emergence.

2.Is Agriculture able to feed the population? Is there sufficient water?

 Philippines is a country in which almost half of the country is agricultural, and only 6.0% was importations and 6.7% exportation. So I will say Yes, the country is able to feed the population, however there's still hunger.

 There is sufficient water, 96.1% of the water that is used in the country is from surface water and the 3.9% is from ground water.

           3. How do the causes of hunger in these countries compare with the causes of hunger in the United States? What is similar and what is different?

           Philippines and United States are similar in that the cause of hunger of both countries is Poverty, hunger and poverty are always going to be linked, if you don't have money you can't buy food.

            Other causes of hunger in Philippines are the food prices and the Climate, El Nino phenomena and La Nina phenomena affect a lot the agriculture of the country.

 4. What are the different strategies which could be used to combat hunger in each of these countries? Which ones will be easier to implement? Which will be hardest? Why?

In this moment there are a lot of organizations around the world that work to combat hunger around the world. Some of them are:

Outreach International

UNICEF Philippines  

Action Against Hunger

 

5. What is the extent of hunger in this country? What is this estimate based on, and how reliable is it? How has the extent of hunger changed during the recent history of this country? 

References

2011 Global Hunger Index. (2011). Retrieved from International Food Policy Research Institute: http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/ghi11.pdf

Addressing the Food Security Issues in Southeast Asia. (2003). Retrieved from Keio University: http://www.fasid.or.jp/daigakuin/sien/kaisetsu/gaiyo20/lecture10/10-2.pdf

Causes of Hunger in the U.S. (n.d.). Retrieved from Bread for the world: http://www.bread.org/hunger/us/causes.html

GIEWS Country Briefs. (2012, February 13). Retrieved from Philippines: http://www.fao.org/giews/countrybrief/country.jsp?code=PHL&lang=en

Philippines. (2010). Retrieved from AQUASTAT: http://www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/countries/philippines/index.stm

Right to Food Assesment Philippines. (2006). Retrieved from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: http://www.fao.org/righttofood/publi10/PHILIPPINES_assessment_vol1.pdf