More than 800 million people in the world go to bed hungry every night, they are chronically undernourished. Millions more suffer from hunger during times of seasonal or periodic food shortages. Every year nearly 13 million children do not reach the age of five, they die as a direct or indirect result of hunger and malnutrition.
Healthy bodies resist infection and disease.
When someone suffers from malnutrition the body weakens and the defense system can not fight off even the mildest of infections. Many times something relatively simple develops into a more serious problem. In an ugly irony, as desperate farmers try to increase their production, their agricultural methods may contribute to more health problems. A farmer may overuse or incorrectly use pesticides, inadvertently endangering himself and those who eat his crop. Additionally, some methods of irrigation encourage the spread of human disease.