How would you feel if your body slowly turns on you, devouring the cells that make up your very being? What would you do if you were so weak that you couldn’t even hold a loved one in your arms? How would you feel if you couldn’t think straight because the pain of hunger was so intense? What would you do..? Starvation results in a series of devastating events that can ultimately lead to death. When a person eats, the body extracts needed nutrients for cellular maintenance and repair. This requires energy which is provided for by the metabolism of the food. If we consume more than what is required at that time, our body stores the excess as adipose tissue or fat. This fat serves as a reserve of potential energy in times of a …show more content…
The location and geography of the country has caused the people to experience famine after famine, leaving many to die from starvation. A famine is in definition, “A great shortage or an extreme scarcity of food over an extended period of time” (Webster). There are several different types of famine that occur in different types of the world. The type that Ethiopia generally goes through is called a Ravallion. During a Ravallion famine, there are unusually large amounts of causalities with extreme shortages of food in certain parts of the population. There are many things that cause famine, whether it’s draught, plague, or civil disrupt. Right now, Ethiopia is experiencing a draught that has killed almost all of their crops. Because of the famines that Ethiopia experiences most every year, there is usually an increase in the amount of people malnourished. This year, 11to 14 million people are expected to go hungry leaving many to starve to death. Ethiopia has experienced many draughts like these, the worst however, being in 1983. This draught lasted two years and the draught alone killed over 400,000 people in one year, this doesn’t include the deaths that were due to starvation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983%E2%80%931985_famine_in_Ethiopia). Another factor that causes starvation in Ethiopia is its economy. Ethiopia is in and has always been in a very poor economic state. Crops account for 41% of the country’s GDP however; the
Environmental factors are a factor that affect living and nonliving organisms and have participated in Ethiopia’s problem in food deficiency and food insecurity. A large environmental factor that can affect food deficiency and food insecurity is natural hazards and disasters. These can include droughts and floods which can upset agricultural production. For example, grain production and stocks are very low and droughts have hit harvests in grain-producing areas around the world. A more specific example for Ethiopia is that because of Ethiopia’s seasonal rainfall from mid-June to mid-September, soil erosion and
Ethiopia is a country found in the mid-east of Africa. It is surrounded by several countries including Sudan, Somalia, Kenya and Eritrea. High amounts of rainfall in Ethiopia has resulted in the death and homelessness of thousands of people. Around 100 people have lost their lives in the past month in Ethiopia due to flash floods and landslides caused by their high rainfall, at least 20,000 have become homeless because of the same reason and even more have lost valuable cattle and crops. Ethiopia has a population of over 75 million and it has been rapidly increasing in the last 2 decades resulting in the construction of more and more buildings causing land for farming and cattle to be used up. The majority of
The famine has been attributed to a major drought that struck East Africa in late 1983, as well as political instability in the country. While the drought was a major factor in the severity of the famine, the famine was already occurring on a major scale due to government policies that had been implemented to curb rebel uprisings and control agriculture development. In the 20 years leading up to the famine in Ethiopia, war between the established government and various rebel factions was commonplace with government forces often attacking civilian villages and agricultural land as retaliation
In Ethiopia, there is usually plenty of rain, and the farmers do not have to irrigate their crops. On the other hand, Somalia is very hot and dry farmers can only grow crops near a river an oasis or where they can use irrigation. This makes it very difficult for the Ethiopians to grow food, and they have suffered severe drought several times since the 1980s Lack of rainfall also makes it very difficult for them to raise livestock. Ethiopia has suffered from famines, and many people have died from hunger there. One way farmers can try to overcome the effects of rainfall is to plant a large variety of crops some that need alot of rain and some that can survive with very little rain. This way hopefully they can grow enough crops to stay subsistent which means they and feed and nourish their
Natural disasters, poverty, and war all cause famines. Hurricane Matthew in the Caribbean, the war in Iraq, and drought in East Africa are all examples of how hunger devastates
All around the world, many countries are suffering from poverty and hunger. This problem can be caused by harmful economic systems, environmental factors, and past leadership.
Majority of the people in Ethiopia are suffering from poverty. In Ethiopia there is no enough food and people cannot feed their families easily. All of these poverty problems are related to backward agriculture and drought. Agriculture is one of the basic source of food and people depend on the agricultural products in Ethiopia, but it is very back ward and farmers are still using oxen and horses to cultivate the land. This is why farmers cannot produce enough and their work is from hand to mouth. Agriculture in Ethiopia depends on the rain, therefore if there is no enough rain there is no enough food. These are some of the agricultural problems in Ethiopia.
until there is nothing left of them. Although, this may disguise itself as a physical
Poverty itself is a major cause of hunger. All are very important as a cause of poverty and hunger in sub-Saharan Africa. Poverty is the main cause of hunger in Africa. To put it simply, people do not have enough income to buy sufficient food. Conflict and drought, the important cause of famine, but the most typical situation is that people do not have enough income to buy the food they need, they could starve in some slums somewhere. As mentioned in 2008, 47% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa lives with $ 1.25 per day or less. The impact of the drought that caused the famine. the growing death toll. The death toll in the disastrous famine in 1992 recorded 220 thousand. Hunger and severe food amanan lack in Somalia swallow casualties around 258 thousand people between October 2012 to April
The basic metabolic response to starvation is to conserve body tissues and energy. However, the body will also start to use its own tissue, including muscle and organs, for energy since the body has no food to use. The liver and intestines will usually lose the highest percentage of their own weight during starvation, followed by the heart and the kidneys; they both lose a descent amount of weight. Further effects of anorexia nervosa may include kidneys stones and even kidney failure.
Famine is something that is not very common. It is a widespread and extreme scarcity of food. According to the United Nations, “ more than two people per 10,000 die each day, acute malnutrition rates are above 30 percent, all livestock is dead and there is less than 2,100 kilocalories of food and 4 liters of water available per person per day” (LeGagnoux,Borgen Project ), confirming that Somalia is in fact suffering through a famine.
In the 1990s, approximately 800 000 people died due to the famine. Since then, there has been little proof that grain production had recovered. Little has changed on the policies in place, the diplomatic environment, which has brought the government to again almost deliberately triggering another phase of famine.
The Ethiopia and Bengal leaders both neglected to recognize that drought was a factor in their famines. Instead, the amount of food and where is was transported too was monitored by the government which result in a variety of problems. In Ethiopia, the government composed prices on its food. This resulted in the rich only being able to buy the food, leaving the poor to starve, creating a famine. In Bengal, food produced there would stay there and be distributed only within itself.
Our planet right now is not in a good shape. There is a lot of problems going on and a lot of them there is nothing that we can do about it. But one that we can actually do something about is world hunger. This problem has existed since the beginning of our society and not a lot have changed since. There is enough for everyone in the world and we don't do anything about it.
In-patients with anorexia, starvation can damage vital organs such as the heart and brain. To protect itself, the body shifts into " slow gear ": monthly menstrual periods stop, breathing, pulse and, blood pressure rates drop, and thyroid function slows. Nails and hair become brittle, the skin dries, yellows, and becomes covered with soft hair called lanugo. Excessive thirst and frequent urination may occur. Dehydration contributes to constipation, and reduced body fat leads to lowered body temperature and inability to with stand cold. Mild anemia, swollen joints, reduced muscles mass, and light headedness also commonly occur in anorexia. If the disorder becomes severe, patients may lose calcium from their bones, making them brittle and prone to breakage. Scientists from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have also found that patients suffer from other psychiatric illnesses. They may suffer from anxiety, personality or substance abuse disorders, and many are at a risk for suicide. Obsessive compulsive disorder, an illness characterized by repetitive thoughts and behaviors, can also accompany anorexia.