Who are the hungry? That’s easy, they’re people just like you. They feel, they love, they laugh, they dream. They like having fun. They want to make something of their lives, just like you do.

But through no fault of their own, hunger diminishes, even extinguishes, their lives.

Here are the three main groups most at risk of hunger:

The rural poor

The overwhelming majority of the people who don’t have enough to eat live in poor, rural communities in developing countries. Many have no electricity and no safe drinking water. Public health, education and sanitation services are often poor.

It may seem strange to you, but the world’s most food-insecure and hungry people are often directly involved in producing food. They cultivate crops on small plots of land. They raise animals. They catch fish. They do what they can to provide food for their families or earn money at the local produce market.

Many have no land of their own and work as hired hands to earn enough money to get by. Often the work is seasonal, and the family must move or split up to earn a living.

It’s hard work and it’s difficult to set anything aside in case of an emergency. Even when there is enough food, the threat of hunger is always present.

The urban poor

Many rural people, especially young men and women, are leaving their families looking for a better life in the city. Almost always they end up working in poorly paid or dangerous jobs, if they find any work at all. They don’t find relief from hunger. They find the slums.

Cities are expanding constantly. In the year 2000 nearly two billion people lived in cities, by 2030 this figure will have more than doubled. As the cities expand, the number of urban poor people will rise. Obviously urban hunger and access to affordable food in cities are going to be increasingly important issues.

Find out about what FAO is doing to provide food for the cities.

Victims of catastrophes

Every year, floods, droughts, earthquakes and other natural disasters as well as armed conflicts cause widespread destruction and force families to abandon their homes and farms. These people are often faced with the threat not just of hunger but of outright starvation. FAO helps them cope with these emergencies and then to rebuild their lives.

Find out how FAO helps in emergencies