Final answer:
Despite technological advancements and increased food production, hunger persists due to inefficient food distribution and poor macroeconomic policies. Factors like stable inflation, full employment, and gender equality in education can improve food security and distribution, as explained by Amartya Sen.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question addresses why, despite the Earth's productivity, people still die of hunger. One of the key theories in explaining the discrepancy between food availability and starvation is the Malthusian catastrophe, which posits that population growth tends to outpace food production. Sociologists attribute the avoidance of this catastrophe, thus far, to technological advancements in agriculture, improvements in medicine, and family planning. Nevertheless, challenges such as land degradation and inefficient food distribution, informed by Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen, highlight that macroeconomic policies can significantly affect starvation and food security. Sen emphasizes that achieving stable inflation, full employment, gender equality in education, and secure property rights can mitigate starvation and result in more equitable food distribution.