A billion hungry

With recent U.S. Census Bureau information showing that our nation’s poverty rate increased in 2009 for the third year in a row, how does the global community stack up in comparison, specifically in people’s ability to obtain enough to eat?

A recent Gallup Global Report announced that a survey conducted in 113 countries in 2009 revealed that approximately 1 billion adults reported not having sufficient money at times to buy enough food for themselves and their families. A number of African countries were particularly hard-hit. In fact, 15 of the 22 countries where more than half of adults reported difficulties affording food were in sub-Saharan Africa.

Notably, though, the two countries reporting the highest change in food-affordability from 2008 to 2009 were Ecuador and the Philippines, where food riots took place shortly after the 2008 surge in global food prices.