As the world faces serious food security issues we are reminded of the vast inequalities between the haves and the have not’s as so many of the world’s citizens struggle on a daily basis to feed their families …. yet other more fortunate and rich citizen’s consume at an ever increasing and alarming rate. In countries such as the USA issues of obesity, anorexia and bulemia take center-stage, overconsumption dominates and cities and populations increase steadily. This juxtaposes vividly against famine, starvation, poverty, inequality, deforestation and food scarcity experienced by those in less developed and impoverished parts of the world. The below images graphically depict this disparity.
Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide
Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07
Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily
Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11
United States: The Revis family of North Carolina
Food expenditure for one week $341.98
Mexico: The Casales family of Cuernavaca
Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09
Poland: The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna
Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27
Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo
Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53
Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo
Food expenditure for one week: $31.55
Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village
Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03
Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp
Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23
It is more than comparing the haves from the have nots, because one has to consider the fact that some of these people are from first world countries and others from the developing countries. It is corrected that in USA (that has more food in the pictures) over consumption of food is affecting their health (e.g. obesity, bulimia and anorexia) and many of the citizens of this country are dealing with eating disorders. Whereas in the third world country like Chad people have so little and yet suffer from health issues as well, things like malnutrition. It also address issues of fertility and family planning, I see the Aboubakar family in Chad has more children than the Revis family in the USA. What could be the reason for this? Families in first world countries plan to have families because they know food prices are forever increasing. On the countrary in developing countries like Chad couples do not sit down at the table and disscuss how many children we should have, instead they go….well they know where to go to get babies…at the baby shop (Lol For Zani…what were you thinking???)
Similary in a country like South Africa where it is a combination of a first and a third world country. We see economic inequalities everywhere around the country, where small families have too much to eat and too much room to live on versus big families with so little to eat and small spaces to live in.
Comment by Zuki — September 2, 2008 @ 12:27 pm
it is more than comparing the haves from the have nots, because one has to consider the fact that some of these people are from first world countries and others from the developing countries. It is corrected that in USA (that has more food in the pictures) over consumption of food is affecting their health (e.g. obesity, bulimia and anorexia) and many of the citizens of this country are dealing with eating disorders. Whereas in the third world country like Chad people have so little and yet suffer from health issues as well, things like malnutrition. It also address issues of fertility and family planning, I see the Aboubakar family in Chad has more children than the Revis family in the USA. What could be the reason for this? Families in first world countries plan to have families because they know food prices are forever increasing. On the countrary in developing countries like Chad couples do not sit down at the table and disscuss how many children we should have, but to them more children means more God’s blessings.
Similary in a country like South Africa where it is a combination of a first and a third world country. We see economic inequalities everywhere around the country, where small families have too much to eat and too much room to live on versus big families with so little to eat and small spaces to live in.
Comment by Zuki — September 2, 2008 @ 12:54 pm
Source?
Comment by G — November 23, 2008 @ 2:56 pm
Zuki,
The picture in Chad appears to be a refugee camp, so the picture clearly is out of context here. In addition, there is no way to know if the mother had all the kids or if they are nieces and nephews included. There is no father in the picture… all kids. It’s quite common in those situations.
Chad and people in developing countries have more children for many different reasons. Many of these societies are agrarian (agricultural) which requires more labor on the farm. There are many other issues such as culture, ethnic group, religion, class that will determine family size.
Western nations do not plan to have smaller families as much as the pursuit of more material goods, lack of communal thinking and lack of time to care for them dictates how many they have. Why do some countries have so much food and others do not? You figure it out. It has little to do with food prices. It’s cultural. A typical American consumes 11 times more than the average Chinese and 32 times more than the average Kenyan.
Most Americans suffer from malnutrition. Malnutrition means malnourished or not receiving enough nutrients. Obesity is malnutrition. People don’t realize this. The fat is waste that is stored because nutrients have not been absorbed and used. Most of the junkfood shown by the Black family is the reason why there is so many incidence of diabetes, heart failure, obesity and cancer in the U.S. Globalization has spread these eating habits around the world. Soon all of these families will be eating Pizza Hut and drinking Coca-Cola.
Comment by Daaim Shabazz — February 24, 2009 @ 11:29 pm