Those who survive may be left physically and mentally impaired or perpetually subject to illness. The hunger crisis is complex, says Butrin. Lack of food leads to poor health. Poor health necessitates increased income for health care, which further drains family resources. Malnutrition makes people more prone to illness.
Ill health causes loss of productivity.
But, according to experts, the solution is not found in merely redistributing food, taking from the fat and giving to the thin. Many of the countries where people are suffering are rich in natural resources, but there is no distribution mechanism to get food to the people. Farming techniques may be antiquated and land is under-producing. These problems are only compounded in times of natural disaster or man-made tragedy. Hurricanes, flooding and drought can leave a country, already teetering on the edge of survival, devastated for a lifetime.