Blog 7: Hunger in Iran
The country that I chose this week for my sustainable goal is Iran. Iran is one of the 6th largest refugee population in the world. They are hosting 1 million refugees and they typically come from Afganistan and Iraq (The World Food Programme, 2020). Iran has had complications when it comes to food security due to problems with climate change, and how it affects farmlands. Due to the poor soil and lack of proper water distribution, most of the farmland can not be used for planting. Not only does it affect agricultural farming, but the dry soil also affects the plantation for grains or vegetation. This is what helps feed livestock and without it, it is likely that the livestock will not thrive (Borgen, 2020). Refugees living in settlements have limited job opportunities, no access to farming, and a prohibition to keep livestock which makes them unable to meet their food needs. Poorly diversified diets and detrimental practices, which include skipping meals, consuming cheap and unhealthy foods, and too much sugar typically lead to chronic health issues such as high blood pressure and diabetes (The World Food Programme, 2020).
Iran has been working with The World Food Programme when it comes to finding ways to provide options for refugees to have access to food. Although they first used food assistance as one of their methods, they have since changed it to providing and giving out cash. This does not mean they do not provide food, however. Families still receive a small amount of wheat flour but most of the assistance they receive is The World Food Programme handing out cash, which they can use to buy things in shops and markets inside the settlements. This allows refugees to buy food of their own choice while also benefiting the community entirely by encouraging purchases in local shops and increasing the efficiency of assistance (The World Food Programme, 2020).
The organization does not state how much it costs them to provide for their methods in helping Iran, but it is shown that non-profit donations are their major income at the moment. Although this is a big issue in Iran, it, unfortunately, does not seem that it is one of their main priorities when it comes to helping the refugees gain a better source of healthy and nutritious foods. Even so, with The World Food Programmes help, they will definitely see an improvement later on in the future.
References
The World Food Programme. (2020, July 31). Iran (Islamic Republic of) | World Food Programme. https://www.wfp.org/countries/iran-islamic-republic
Borgen, C. (2020, August 19). Hope for Reducing Hunger in Iran. The Borgen Project. https://borgenproject.org/tag/hunger-in-iran/
Hi Kalkidan,
ReplyDeleteHaving little or no access to food is such a common thing in low income countries. I wouldn't have thought of Iran to have an issue with hunger. I do have a question, how does the World Food Programme know that the families and individuals aren't taking advantage of the cash the program gives out? I think it's a great idea for the people to buy their groceries and food and all but how does the program know that they aren't just lying and using the money for something else. Overall I enjoyed reading your post!
Hello Kalkidan,
ReplyDeleteYour post was very educational and interesting as well. You discussed a lot of things that I had no idea about and I didn't realize how many refugees go to Iran. It is interesting to read that Iran struggles with food security because I have never heard of that before, but I am glad that the WFP is helping this country the best way they can. Hopefully things will become better for Iran and they can solve their issue of hunger.
Hi Kalkidan,
ReplyDeleteI was unaware of hunger problem in Iran before reading your blog. It is very heartbroken to know, hunger and food is big issues in our world while access to food should be basic human right. I think, one of the reason behind this increasing hunger problem is climate change too. With warmer temperatures and more pests, farms will produce less food. Other cause like lack the resources to grow their own food, such as arable land and the means to harvest, process, and store food also contribute to increase food problem. However, I am glad to know that World Food Programme is working to eliminate food issues along with Iran's government. Great job!
Hi Kalkidan, I really enjoyed reading you blog and learning about hunger in Iran. I find it so disheartening that the country is struggling so much with food security, and the ability to farm foods. The multitude of health related issues this has caused is absolutely heartbreaking. I do like how you have written a blog post about this, and raised some awareness of these issues.
ReplyDeleteHey Kalkidan,
ReplyDeleteI always learn new information when I read your posts. In this week's SDG assignment, you focused on Iran which is a country that is highly populated with refugees, as you shared. I depicted that Iran would have environmental struggles due to their limited resources, but it did not; it was tragic towards their economic stability, too. I learned that with the effects of climate change, it has degraded Iran’s population to grow and plant their foods. This affects families, children, and their animals that they are raising. With this situation, the number of hunger will only increase. However, The World Food Programme always is a supportive unit towards low developing countries like Iran. Therefore, I hope Iran's relationship with this organization will help empower their need for food and water so that individuals can maintain a stable living. I enjoyed reading your post and I hope that by 2030, Iran will have the sufficiency of proper food and resources.
Hello Kalkidan,
ReplyDeleteHunger and malnutrition are some of the common issues in low income countries. The reasoning behind that is because of climate change and financial issues. Climate change can impact hunger because it can impact the agriculture and the ability to farm food. However, that is great that the World Food Programme is working to improve hunger throughout low income countries. All in all, great post!
Hi Kalkidan,
ReplyDeleteI was surpriesed to read that they just hand out cash but in the United States we do the same. I now realize that hunger and malnutrition is very common around the world. Which I could understand because Iran does abnormal climate change. I also agree that countries need to invest more time and effort to feed the hungry. Iran's economy has been unstable and that seems to be their first priority.
Hi Kalkidan,
ReplyDeleteYour post was very informative, it was interesting to read about the assistance given to refugees in Iran. One of the things that I found most interesting is that refugees are not allowed to keep livestock. Although there is a reason behind it, it seems like an obstacle for refugees who are simply trying to get more affordable food for their family. The change in assistance was also a bit surprising, but I do feel that it is better that way. Changing from a daily/weekly drop-off of groceries to check has benefited both parties since refugees are now able to decide which foods to purchase, but also contribute to their local farms and shops. I am curious to know whether the amount given is sufficient for these families. I know here in the U.S. financial assistance for food is limited in the monthly amount but also in the items that are able to be purchased.
The post showed how much foreign organizations are giving to the people of Iran and their refugees. Even with all the help from foreign organizations the goal of SDGs is for the country to sustain their own goals. With all the help as well as the relative instability of Iran, the country might not be able to reach their goal by 2030.
ReplyDelete