I heard about the Global Hunger Index today on NPR. What a fantastic resource!!
Although I've been looking at the data and while following current events in two countries, one can tell that a lot can happen in 3 years. The latest data of the index is year 2003. Not too long ago, but quite long ago.
An example, I follow Zambian and Zimbabwean current events pretty regularly. When I look at the chart, I am not surprised to see Zambia's hunger index go up over the last 20 years. I am surprised to see Zimbabwe's go up only a little bit.
And then I remembered the date of the most current data. Sure Mugabe was kicking out white farmers, but land was still farmable then. The agricultural brain excommunication had not trickled down over the years and the land was still somewhat productive. 3 years latter it is not. Also, the mass eviction of Harare and Bulawayo's residents occurred after this data was calculated. It is only over the last couple of years that inflation has spiraled so out of control.
We can notice Sudan. It was only a couple years ago that the world recognized the problem in the Darfur region. Seeing that the Southern Sudan War's peace deals have not been effective. I expect that Sudan also holds a higher index.
All this to say, I'm glad there is a Global Hunger Index. It is a good example about how fast things can change in this world for better, but often speedier is the change for worse. Erupting wars, selfish dictators and the lot can damage a country in months. When data is collected only every couple of years, the data is outdated.
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