A billion people in the world do not have enough to eat. And every three seconds someone starves to death. In this DW Special, we investigate the politics, economics and science behind the issue.
Although there is more than enough food to feed the world's growing population, a global economic system that benefits the industrialized nations creates hunger in developing countries, says DW's Ute Schaeffer.
The World Bank and the UN are warning of a new wave of famine. But poor harvests and Western subsidies are not to blame, rather market speculators who are driving the prices of staple foods through the roof.
In the drought-stricken Horn of Africa, many Somalis depend on foreign aid for their survival. But humanitarian aid workers are coming to terms with the limitations of how much good they can do in a land torn by war.
It is estimated that by 2050, 9 billion people will have to be fed in the world. Experts fear that global food production can no longer keep up with population growth, and that global conflict could follow.
Once the brain has flicked a special switch, a person can go without food for quite a while. Sadly, if you are sick and weak already, this mechanism does not work properly. The same applies to children.
As the world's population grows, the need for new strategies to stop famine and malnutrition is urgent. While there are limitations on global resources, some say it's possible to solve the problem.
The UN aimed to cut global hunger in half from 2000 to 2015, but today even more people are starving than at the beginning of the millenium.
Scientists issued warnings about the famine in the Horn of Africa as early as 2010. Their early warning system is funded by the international community, which ignores its findings.
Can free trade in the agricultural industry play a role in fighting hunger on a global scale, or does it simply make the problem worse?
Genetically altered plants are supposedly more resistant to pests and bring higher crop yields. But consumers and farmers are protesting against these plants, and one company, Monsanto, stands in the eye of the storm.
A Swiss company has embarked on a project leasing land from rural villages in Sierra Leone to produce European biofuel. Some say this is agricultural development, but others warn it's opportunistic land grabbing.
Scientists in the Philippines are trying to make rice production sustainable and stable.
As populations grow, climate change may make the hunger issue worse. Droughts and heavy storms will have an impact and so will our efforts to stop climate change itself.
Biofuels can help industrialized nations reduce fossil fuel dependencies and cut harmful carbon emissions. But their production means diverting valuable farmland, threatening food security in developing countries.
Industrial agriculture and intensive farming are commonplace these days and have led to a big reduction in the number of species on our fields. What does that mean for global food supply?
'Alternative Nobel Prize' winner Vandana Shiva says food has been reduced to a commodity.
Germany's Welthungerhilfe aid organization is calling for a more responsible use of food.
DW takes a deeper look at the politics, economics and science of hunger.
The Mekong River provides food, water and work for millions of people, but development plans for hydroelectric dams pose a threat to the environment and diets. As a key decision looms, neighbors look on anxiously.
Do we need genetically modified food to quell global hunger? That controversial question prompts emotional debate. The truth is anything but clear-cut.
A researcher in the Netherlands hopes to create the first hamburger by growing muscle cells in a Petri dish. For many the experiment seems tasteless, but there are very good reasons for it.
Time is of the essence when it comes to helping malnourished children and avoid lasting damage.