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The World of Child 6 Billion
NUTRITIONPresentation GuideKey Issue(s):
Food supply and levels of nutrition Discussion Openers
1. What information is the graph presenting?
2. What conclusions can you make from the data provided?
3. Which of those conclusions are based on fact and which are inferred?
4. What further information would you need to test your conclusions?
view full-size graph
| | Food Supply and Change Since 1987 [Graph 6] This graph shows the number of calories that would be available to each person, on average, in each country if food were evenly distributed within the country. For comparison, 2,350 calories per day are necessary, on average, to sustain normal levels of activity and health (taking into account age, sex, body weight, and climate). An adequate intake of calories, however, does not ensure adequate nutrition. - In both the U.S. and Indonesia, daily calorie supply is above the necessary level for good health. In the other five countries, daily calorie level per person is below that threshold.
- In 1987, among the developing countries shown, only Indonesia had enough food supply to provide each person with an adequate number of calories if food were distributed evenly. Yet Indonesia showed the largest gain in food supply per person by 1997.
- The average daily supply of calories per person decreased since 1987 in the two African countries highlighted and in the Dominican Republic. (In Bolivia and Laos, there was little change).
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| | Underweight Children in Major World Regions [Graph 7] This graph presents the percentage of children under age 5 who are moderately or severely underweight in major world regions. - For demonstration purposes, the percentages found on the graph translate roughly into the following ratios (also given for a group/class of 30):
- developing countries: 1 in 3 (10 in 30)
- least developed countries: 2 in 5 (12 in 30)
- South Asia: 1 in 2 (15 in 30)
- Sub-Saharan Africa: 3 in 10 (9 in 30)
- East Asia and the Pacific: 2 in 10 (6 in 30)
- Middle East and North Africa: 2 in 10 (6 in 30)
- Latin America and the Caribbean: 1 in 10 (3 in 30)
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| | Underweight Children in Seven Countries Over Time
[Graph 8] This graph shows the percentage of children under 5 years old who are moderately and severely underweight for the six selected countries and the U.S., and how that percentage has changed since the late 1980s when there were 5 billion people on Earth. - The problem of underweight children is worst in the two Asian countries -- Laos and Indonesia, but the situation is only slightly better in Burkina Faso. Note: Data were not available for Burkina Faso and the U.S. for the 1980s.
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Discussion - Do the highlighted countries appear to be typical of their region in terms of underweight children? (See UNICEF listing of countries by region under Country Designations.)
- What are some of the factors that will determine whether Child 6 Billion receives adequate nutrition?
- How prevalent is malnutrition in your community? What can you do to improve the situation locally or globally?
Other Topics for Extension: - Could you meet your nutritional needs with only locally produced foods?
- The United Nations reported in 1998 that global stocks of cereals are considered by experts to be adequate for world food security. Research potential reasons that some countries or regions do not have enough food despite this finding.
- To learn how the United Nations World Food Program is increasing the amount of food it can distribute, go online at: http://www.TheHungerSite.com.
Sources: Bread for the World Institute, 1998, The Changing Politics of Hunger.
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