World hunger is defined as global food scarcity and is often divided into two types of malnutrition. The first is PEM or protein-energy malnutrition, or a deficiency of calories and proteins. PEM is often mentioned when talking about world hunger as it is very common in developing countries. Because proteins are necessary for crucial body functions such as building muscle and providing necessary amino acids, they are critical for the developing body. Without adequate intake, malnutrition contributes to growth failure, often resulting in two types of acute malnutrition called nutritional wasting and edema. Wasting is described by rapid weight loss and is the cause of death, while nutritional edema is a form of swelling due to insufficient protein intake. Another main type of growth failure is stunting, being a slow cumulative process due to inadequate intake of various nutrients. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Stunting often affects children visually as they will appear much younger than their actual age. An organization called the United Nations Children's Fund estimates that more than 161 million children worldwide are affected by stunting. The second type of malnutrition is called micronutrient deficiency. Although it is not comparable to protein-energy malnutrition, malnutrition is very important and affects millions of children. Micronutrients such as vitamin A are vital to the immune system's defense against disease. Vitamin A deficiency can lead to blindness and slow growth. It is estimated that up to 250 million preschool children are deficient in vitamin A and that approximately 500,000 children go blind each year. Unfortunately, more than half of them die within a year of losing their sight. To date, the majority of malnourished people are found in developing regions, with over 700 million people suffering from undernutrition in 2016. Fortunately, this number has decreased by 40% compared to the global level in the 1990s. However, in developing countries, up to 20% of the population is chronically malnourished, while Asia and sub-Saharan regions of Africa are home to the majority of malnourished people globally. Global food consumption is very different between developing and developed countries. At low incomes, people spend up to 80% of their income on food, and developed nations like America spend less than 10% on food. Americans alone waste more than 100 trillion calories on food every day. Globally, grains make up more than 45% of people's diets, and this figure is expected to increase by 2030, while overall global demand will increase by up to 35%. Agriculture currently provides employment to nearly 40% of the world's population. In developing countries where technology is not as rich, agriculture depends on seasonal rainfall, so a drought has the potential to create a mass famine that can devastate a country's population..