What does it mean to be poor? So poor that they can’t get food? The project The poverty line tries to answer these questions by showing what can be bought in different countries of the world with a daily income that is on the poverty line.
The project was born in China in 2010 from the collaboration between the photographer Stefen Chow and his wife, the economist Hui-Yi Lin. Since then, they have traveled 150,000 kilometers across 31 countries or territories to photograph dozens of foods that can be purchased at a daily per capita figure based on each country’s definition of the poverty line and official national statistics.
Where possible, Chow and Lin chose local foods, bought in the markets and photographed on local newspapers purchased on the day of the shot. They didn’t focus on basic foods, they photographed everything: meat, vegetables, grains, legumes, sweets and even snacks. Some economists have in fact observed that those who are poor, as well as those who are rich, are not concerned only with the quantity, but also with the variety of foods. And if he has little more money at his disposal, he is sometimes even willing to spend it on a piece of bacon or sweets.
The poverty line it has won numerous awards, has been exhibited around the world and has been used by the World Bank as a visual reference for the concept of poverty. It has now become a book, published by Lars Müller Publishers.
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