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Why Hunger
Select a topic to access related articles, resources, images and videos. Search by Theme, Featured Topics or View All Topics to learn more about how we grow, process and eat our food, why people are hungry and what communities are doing to change our food system.
This project is supported by the Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA Grant
# 2009-33800-20201.
Search the Community Food Projects Database.
Dig deep into our Food Security Learning Center to read about current issues related to hunger and poverty in the United States and around the globe.

Themes

Community Food Security

To build a safe, just and sustainable food system we need many different kinds of people, organizations and businesses within a community to work together to increase access to healthy, affordable, fresh food produced and processed locally.

Food Systems and Agriculture

A regional, diverse agricultural base is key to a secure food system that responds to the needs of the entire community. Producing, processing and purchasing food closer to the market translates to a stronger local economy, reduced fuel use, a healthy environment and access to fresher foods.

Global Hunger

Today close to a billion people worldwide are hungry and 16,000 children die of hunger each day. What are the root causes and consequences of hunger in a world of abundant food, and where do we find the real solutions?

Poverty

43.6 million people in the U.S. are poor. With persistent poverty comes the erosion of opportunity for a better life. Government intervention is essential but so are innovative community-based solutions that help meet basic needs while strengthening the community’s social fabric.

U.S. Hunger and Nutrition

Over 49 million people live in “food insecure” households. Diet-related disease has been steadily escalating the last 30 years mirroring the rise of processed, less nutritious foods and the scarcity of accessible fresh fruits and vegetables resulting in food deserts in many regions of the country.

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Featured topics

*Welcome to the FSLC*

Whether you call it food justice, real food, good food, or fair food -- we are all building this living, breathing movement toward the day when everyone has access to healthy, affordable food and the power to make decisions that protect and grow community food security locally and globally. Welcome to the Food Security Learning Center, a hub of practical resources and hands-on tools to help you dig in and connect with others around the country -- and the world -- who are making change. More >>

Family Farms

Despite the rapid pace of farm foreclosures and consolidation in the United States – some four million farms have disappeared in the last 50 years -- the independent family farm, the backbone of American democracy in Thomas Jefferson's agrarian vision, is being rediscovered in all its benefits for the production of healthful food, self-reliant communities, and environmental conservation. More >>

Food and Farm Bill

The Food and Farm Bill drives food policy in the U.S. It determines what we eat, how much food costs, and where and how it is grown. WhyHunger supports legislation that is fair for farmers, consumers, workers, and everyone else along the food chain. We believe in improving nutrition for everyone; ending hunger; building regional food and farm economies; creating jobs; fostering innovation and sustainable practices farming practices; and ensuring fair wages for food and farm workers. More >>

Food Deserts

Food deserts are concentrated areas short on access to healthy food – fresh produce and meat – even while convenience stores and fast-food outlets flourish. These communities often paradoxically experience both obesity and poverty. Barriers to accessing healthy food in these areas are both economic (low incomes) and physical (lack of transportation or absence of fresh food retailers). More >>

Food Policy Councils

As people lose access to land and the ability to grow or even shop for healthy food in their own neighborhoods, Food Policy Councils – either an official advisory body to local government or a grassroots advocacy network – have emerged as a means to insist that governments plan for food security as they do for other basic needs such as waste disposal and transportation. More >>

U.S. Hunger

View statistics about how hunger affects Americans every year. Over 49 million Americans live in food insecure households. Learn more in U.S. Hunger and some of the programs that can reduce hunger in the U.S. More >>

Workers in the Food System

Almost 2o million people in the US work in the food system, from farms to processing plants to restaurants and grocery stories. WhyHunger is proud to have partnered with the Food Chain Workers Alliance on this new topic exploring the lives and voices of the people who feed us. More >>