Indians are the world's biggest tea drinkers and producers. Half of the country's entire output comes from the north-eastern state of Assam, but the conditions for many of those who work on its tea plantations are appalling. Workers earn well below the minimum wage and malnutrition is also common. Laws about facilities and conditions on tea estates exist, but many don't comply. Our correspondents Natacha Butler and Vikram Singh went to visit one such estate in the south of Assam.
Argentina, once the world’s bread basket, can no longer feed some of its own people. In the northern province of Chaco, the forests have made way for transgenic soya and cattle. Gradually driven from their lands, the indigenous communities can no longer support themselves. In recent years, dozens of children have died from malnutrition and poverty. We went to meet these forgotten families and those who are trying to help them.
2008 saw riots across the developing world, with hungry and furious people taking to the streets. Now fears are rising that the world could be braced for another food crisis. The latest data from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation shows that at the beginning of 2011, global food prices were actually higher than at their previous peak three years ago. Environment investigates the nutrition challenges facing the planet.
This week Health has travelled to Chad for a special programme on the latest challenges facing the African country. Like several neighbouring states, Chad was hit by heavy flooding following an exceptional rainy season this year. Many areas in and around the capital are still underwater, months after the heavy rains. We investigate the health implications.
A record one billion people are undernourished around the world, the UN food agency has said, blaming the global financial crisis for "the biggest ever year-on-year increase" in world hunger and calling for a "new world food order".
