Yemen Hunger

What are the issues that affect food security and nutrition in your country?

Yemen is ranked as the 11th most food-insecure country globally with one in three Yemenis suffering from acute hunger. More than 44% of the population does not have enough access to food.

Between 2009 and 2011, some 2.5 million more Yemeni people became severely food insecure. The charts show the difference percentage rates between those years.

One of the issues that affect food insecurity and nutrition in Yemen is the decreasing harvest during the last two years. More than three-quarters of all farmers reported a lower harvest in 2011 than in 2009. Consequently rely in imported food increased and Yemeni people had to spend more money in food. Actually, “people spend more on qat than on health, education, or clothes” (IFPRI, 2011). (2012, p.52).

Central Intelligence Agency. (2012). The World Factbook: Yemen. Retrieved from

            https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ym.html.

(Statistics by Area / Child Survival and Health, 2011)

Statistics by Area / Child Survival and Health. (2011, September). Retrieved July 11, 2012, from www.childinfo.org: http://www.childinfo.org/mortality_imrcountrydata.php

 United Nations World Food Programme. (2012). The State of Food Security and Nutrition in

            Yemen: Comprehensive Food Security Survey. Retrieved from

            http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/ena/wfp247832.pdf.

What is the extent of hunger in this country? What is this estimate based on and how reliable is it? How has the extent of hunger changed during the recent history of this country?

Yemenis are suffering from acute hunger. The extent of hunger has changed over the years. The table below shows the Yemen hunger for the past years.

COUNTRY GLOBAL HUNGER INDEX SCORES BY RANK, 1990 GHI, 1996 GHI, 2001 GHI, and 2011 GHI

Is agriculture able to feed the population? Is there sufficient water?

As said before the agriculture in Yemen isn’t able to feed the population. And this is in part because of the water shortage. Because diesel fuel is in short supply, many water pumps are not operating, and using trucks to transport water is becoming so expensive that safe drinking water could soon be unaffordable for most Yemenis. The lack of water is a chronic problem in Yemen. It has been aggravated by the conflict in the north and by the fact that the water table is falling by four to six meters a year.

(IFPRI), I. F. (2011). Qat, water, and agricultural development. Retrieved from www.ifpri.org: http://www.ifpri.org/publication/qat-water-and-agricultural-development

Does the country rely on foreign food? What are the implications of this?
 

            Yemen is a net-food-importing country with an import dependency for 90% of its overall domestic wheat and 100% of its rice requirements, the country’s two main staples.

Yemen’s high dependence on commercial imports would suggest that food availability and consequently, the evolution of food prices are highly dependent on international markets. Following the unification of North and South Yemen in 1990, the Republic of Yemen undertook a structural reform program, which included liberalizing the foreign exchange and trade regimes.  Prior to the uptake of this structural program, the supply of staple foods was ensured through public imports by the Yemeni Economic Corporation (YECO).

(docustore.wfp.org)

(n.d.). Retrieved from docustore.wfp.org: http://docustore.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/ena/wfp230278.pdf

            What are the different strategies which could be used to combat hunger in each of these countries? Which ones will be easier to implement? Which will be hardest? Why?

World Food Programme (WRP) has already started helping Yemen. Also UNICEF wants to carry out relief missions. They reach all children with life-saving nutritional and health support. But this will hard to do because WFP and UNICEF depend on voluntary funding for their operations. The U.S. and partners for peace in Yemen need to ensure that these agencies have enough funds to carry out relief missions.

(Lambers, 2011)

Lambers, W. (2011, September 18). U.S. Increases Drone Attacks in Yemen, Hunger Relief Remains Low on Funding. Retrieved from blogcritics.org: http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/us-increases-drone-attacks-in-yemen/

            What are the economic, social and political factors contributing to hunger in this country? Which reasons are the most pressing (ex. population size; war; climate, etc.)?

        One factor contributing to hunger in Yemen is the low income of the household. The table below shows the change in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Consumer Price Index (CPI)

                     

Also Yemen’s political crisis last year increased hunger in the country as food and fuel prices surged.  Hunger has doubled since 2009. Conflict in the north and south the country is also exacerbating the crisis

            On the other hand we had also the climate affecting the food security. The major impact channels of climate change are through changing world food prices as a result of global food scarcities, long-term local yield changes as a result of temperature and rainfall variations, and damages and losses of cropland, fruit trees, livestock, and infrastructure as a result of natural disasters such as recurrent storms and floods.

Yemen on brink of hunger catastrophe aid agencies warn. (2012, May 23). Retrieved from www.oxfam.org: http://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressrelease/2012-05-23/yemen-brink-hunger-catastrophe

            What is likely to happen in the future with regard to the hungry in this country? How can the problem best be addressed?

Yemeni families are facing an economic crisis. A quarter of the population has fallen into debt trying to feed their families. Mothers are taking their children out of school to beg on the streets to get money to survive. In order to address in Yemen the government should reduce pressure on the food supply through a firm family-planning program. Smart programs in health, nutrition, and family planning, in addition to better service provision and targeted investments, should all be integral parts of Yemen’s food-security strategy.

Yemen on brink of hunger catastrophe aid agencies warn. (2012, May 23). Retrieved from www.oxfam.org: http://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressrelease/2012-05-23/yemen-brink-hunger-catastrophe

           

            I also found this information about the infant mortality rates in Yemen for the past decades. Since mortality is closely related with hunger I would like to share this graph showing the trends in infant mortality.

Trends in infant mortality rates, 1960–2010

I chose an Indian film titled: “Water”.

What are the values that are admired?

   In this film the author emphasize the importance of moral values such as: honor, purity, kindness and honesty.

How to people interact with one another?

         People treat each other according to their social status. If someone is a rich and a prominent religious person then he or she is going to be treated kindly and respectful. However if the person is a beggar, homeless or a widow (like the protagonist in the film), that person will experience the bitter taste of loneliness and indifference.  Even though there are kind people who really care about others. They aren’t prejudiced for social or religious issues.

How is the culture similar or different from mine?

          Indian culture is greatly distinct from Hispanic culture. The bride doesn’t dress white for the wedding. She wears a dress from different colors to show their happiness. Widows are the ones who wear white dresses. Also Indian girls get married at the few years of life. Unlike us they don’t have the chance of choose to whom they will get married. Somebody of their family choose the husband without the girl’s consent. Another difference is that they don’t bury the person once is dead. Indians cremate the body and throw the ashes in the sea.

   What did you learn about the culture from watching the movie?

      The culture of India is connected with its religion. Traditions must be followed regardless moral and human rights. Widows have three options: Marry their husband’s younger brother, burn with their dead husband or lead a life of self-denial. If they choose the last option they have to cut the hair and stay bald. Also they have to stay in a place with other widows where they live in poverty and precarious sanitary conditions. 

Would you like to visit the country or meet people from the country? Explain your answer

        I would like to visit India and meet people from that country. In that way I would have the opportunity to tell them about the human rights and help them. Also I would like to assist to an Indian wedding and see every detail of that ritual. They have a unique culture so visit their country would be a terrific experience for me.

Drumming Performance

              On Wednesday, June 27, 2012, MDC Hialeah Campus gave us the opportunity of enjoy an interesting drumming performance. The event started at 11:00am and it took about an hour. During that time a group of musicians delight us with an unusual show. That group is called Fushu Daiko and it’s made up of women and men from diverse nationalities. We could see how involve they are into the Japanese culture, especially into its music. They played three pieces which were a combination of Japanese rhythm with others music styles from around the world. They used cymbal, flute, and different kind of drums. The instrument that I like the most was the flute, because it had a sweet sound and kept in harmony with the others instruments. After the show one of the performers, who is from Japan, said that she loved to play drum because it connected her with her culture. Other musician, who is a percussionist, told us that what had brought him in the drumming world was the sound of the drums and the cymbals. Afterwards we enjoyed a Vietnamese lunch, which consisted in fried rice, vegetables and chicken breast. I really like that food, at the beginning it tasted a litter bit weird to me, but I ended up liking it. Above I have put some pictures from this event.

Yemen Cuisine

Saltah: National Yemeni Dish

            

      Yemeni cuisine is completely distinct from the Middle Eastern cuisines. Yemen cuisine has a great Ottoman Turkish influence due to the Ottoman occupation. Chicken and lamb are eaten more often than beef, which is expensive. Fish is also eaten, especially in the coastal areas. Cheese, butter, and other dairy products are less common in the Yemeni diet. The most commonly used lipids are vegetable oil and clarified butter. Saltah is considered the national dish. The base is a brown meat soup of Turkish, a spoonful of fenugreek froth and sahowqa (a mixture of chillies, tomatoes, garlic, and herbs ground into a salsa). It is eaten traditionally with Yemeni flat bread, which is used as a utensil to scoop up the food. Milk tea, black tea, Karkadin (an infusion of dried flowers), Naqe'e Al Zabib (cold raisin drink), and diba'a (squash nectar) are examples of Yemeni drinks. Mango and guava juice are also popular. Tea is consumed with breakfast, after lunch, and with dinner. Popular flavorings include cloves with cardamom and mint.


Yemen Cuisine. (2012, June 22). Retrieved from wikipedia.org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemen_cuisine

                                       How to do Saltah step by step

                         

Yemen Culture

            

Yemen's Flag

     

                                 Yemen is a nation with a rich and unique culture. The main language spoken in Yemen is Arabic. Even though there is a small part of the inhabitants who speak Semitic languages of Eritrea and Ethiopia. Public schools teach English, though the quality of instruction is low compared to private school which produces proficient English speakers. There are a significant number of Russian speakers because of Yemeni-Russian cross marriages occurring mainly in the 1970s and 1980s.A small Vietnamese-speaking community is found in the capital city of Sana’a, which is formed from Yemeni immigrants expatriated from Vietnam after the Vietnam War in the 1970s. Also there are South Asian Languages spoken by the small South Asian community, most notably Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam, and Marathi languages. Yemen's national anthem is a great piece of music called "United Republic". Traditional Yemeni music is usually performed in the home, at the top of the house while the performers chew a psychoactive stimulant leaf. The Yemeni film industry is starting to develop. They have only released two films: “The Losing Bet” and “A New Day in Old Sana’a” .Football is the most popular sport in Yemen. The Yemen national football team competes in the FIFA and the AFC leagues. The geographic characteristics of this country provide many opportunities for outdoor sports, such as biking, rock climbing, mountain jumping, surfing, body boarding, sailing, scuba diving and camel jumping. Yemen’s biggest sport event was hosting the 2010 Gulf Cup of Nations on November 22, 2010. Among Yemen’s natural and cultural attractions are four World Heritage Sites. The Old Walked City of Shibam, which is nickname “Manhattan of the Desert”, joined the World Heritage Committee in 1982 .The ancient Old City of Sana’a having more than 6,000 houses that survive all date from before the 11th century, was inscribed in 1986.The Historic Town of Zabid, inscribed in1993, is an archaeological and historical site. Algebra is said to have been invented there in the early 9th century. The latest addition to Yemen’s list of World Heritage Sites is the Socotra Archipelago. This site has a rich biodiversity and was mentioned by Marco Polo in the 13th century.

 Yemen. (2012, June 21). Retrieved from www.wikipedia.org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemen