Solving World Hunger through Microenterprises, Policy, and...

Solving World Hunger through Microenterprises, Policy, and Community Health Workers The World Hunger Education Service (2011) describes world hunger as the want or scarcity of food or nutrients in a country. World hunger is an insidious issue that impedes progress for millions worldwide. World hunger is not only a physical need, but also has emotional and ethical implications. Living in â€Å"obesogenic† America where supermarkets display hundreds of thousands of food items and obesity affects more than 30.6% of all Americans (Nation Masters, 2011), it is unimaginable to concede that world hunger still exists. As a U. S. dietitian working with many morbidly obese patients and others with obesity-related diseases, it is unthinkable that it†¦show more content†¦Global ethics work to address the moral questions that arise from globalization. According to the University of Birmingham (n.d.) some of the most pressing of these questions arise from the â€Å"great systemat ic disparities of wealth, health, longevity, security, and freedom across the globe (para. 3). Ethicists Andre and Velasquez (1992) suggested that world hunger is a problem that violates the ethical concepts of beneficence, justice and fairness, and respect. These ethicists argue that solving world hunger should be a moral obligation. Beneficence is any act that is done for the benefit of others (Tong, 2007). As it relates to world hunger, beneficent actions suggest that the global community work to solve this problem so that all global citizens have enough to eat. Respect for life dictates that people are valued as humans with worth to the human race. Non-maleficence suggests we do no harm to others. Harming someone by withholding food, or providing foods to only certain groups of people, is unethical. The final principle of clinical ethics is justice and this demands that global benefits, risks, and costs are distributed fairly (Beauchamp and Childress (2001). Additionally, distributive justice another ethical theory suggests the value of human dignity and the common good and holds that the rich should care enough for the