Blog #7: Food crises compromising fight against world hunger, warns UN report

The food crisis has undermined efforts to help people who suffer from world food hunger. With the prices of food increasing and the amount of food being produced decreasing, world food hunger is increasing despite efforts to help decrease the amount of people suffering. A UN report on world hunger, written by the World Food Program, The UN Food and Agricultural Organization, and the International Fund for Organizational Development, said that the food crisis is making “poor farmers, consumers, and countries more vulnerable to poverty and food insecurity.” The report also said that investments in agriculture need respect all people and those being affected by land grabs, and they need to respect local communities and promote food security and sustainability while contributing to mitigation and adaptation to climate change. In 2009 the food crisis caused riots in over 30 countries worldwide.

Organizations like the World Food Program, Food for the Hungry, soup kitchens, etc. are trying to fight world food hunger by giving out food to those in need, but their efforts are being undermined by the food crisis. As the population grows the less food there will be to go around. Natural disasters have destroyed food harvests and forcing farmers to lose their jobs because they couldn’t make enough money for another harvest. Large corporations are also forcing small farmers to lose their farms because the corporations are selling cheaper products and food to big box marts and grocery stores that would have gotten their products and food from the small farmers. These small farmers are being forced into poverty because they cannot afford to support themselves and their families after being closed down by the large corporations. If these large corporations respect the small farmers and their communities by letting them keep their farms and sell goods and food then the poverty rate would decrease.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2011/oct/10/food-crises-fight-world-hunger