What is Food Scarcity?

In simple terms, food scarcity, also known as food insecurity, is the lack of access and availability of food with a certain group of individuals. Food scarcity can occur nearly anywhere, from inhabiting a whole country, to inhabiting a small town. Although there are many reasons for the existence of food scarcity, one of the most prominent reasons for the dilemma is poverty. In many countries, people do not make enough money, leaving them unable to purchase basic necessities including food, consequently contributing to food insecurity. Another fundamental reason food scarcity is the wastage of food. Over one billion tons of food is wasted and never eaten, all of that food that could’ve been consumed by others. Other reasons for food scarcity include natural disasters, such as a drought. Events such as droughts lead to not only the failure of crops, but lead to job loss amongst people, rendering people without an income and a food source. Food scarcity is a relevant and crucial dilemma that exists throughout the world, it being an issue primarily due to the fact that food is a basic necessity and without it, people and societies can not survive. Despite it being a difficult issue, there are ways to prevent it and work to minimize food scarcity; donating to food banks and donating to organizations that’s mission is to work against food scarcity.