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Global Food Insecurity definitions

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  • Food Insecurity
    A condition where access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food is limited or uncertain for a population.
  • Undernutrition
    A state resulting from insufficient intake of energy or nutrients, leading to adverse health effects.
  • Severe Acute Malnutrition
    An extreme deficiency of food intake, often linked to famine, posing immediate risk of death, especially in children.
  • Marasmus
    A form of wasting caused by severe calorie deficiency, marked by extreme thinness and muscle loss.
  • Kwashiorkor
    A condition from severe protein deficiency, often seen with swelling of the abdomen and thin limbs.
  • Wasting
    A physical state where body weight is significantly low for height, often due to acute malnutrition.
  • Stunting
    A result of chronic malnutrition, characterized by short stature for age and often irreversible growth delays.
  • Hidden Hunger
    A situation where micronutrient deficiencies exist despite adequate calorie intake, often unnoticed.
  • Iron-Deficiency Anemia
    A condition marked by insufficient iron, leading to reduced red blood cell production and fatigue.
  • Vitamin A Deficiency
    A lack of vitamin A, increasing risk of blindness and immune impairment, especially in children.
  • Famine
    A widespread and extreme shortage of food in a region, often resulting in mass starvation.
  • Poverty
    A primary driver of food insecurity, limiting access to adequate and nutritious food due to lack of resources.
  • Distribution
    The process of getting food from producers to consumers, often a bottleneck in addressing global hunger.
  • Climate Change
    A factor increasing unpredictability of weather, leading to more frequent crop failures and food shortages.
  • Sustainable Food Systems
    Approaches to producing and distributing food that ensure long-term food security and environmental health.