Many assume world hunger is due to "too many people, not enough food." This trope has persisted since the 18th century and moves us away from addressing the root causes of hunger and malnutrition. The world produces enough food to provide every man, woman and child with more than 2,300 kilocalories per day, which is more than sufficient. However, poverty and inequality—structured by class, gender, race and the impact of colonialism—have resulted in unequal access to the Earth's bounty. Half of global crop production consists of sugar cane, maize, wheat and rice—a great deal of which is used for sweeteners and other high-calorie, low-nutrient products, as feed for industrially produced meat, biofuels and vegetable oil. This article explains how inequity and armed conflict play a larger role in food insecurity and hunger crises.