Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Global hunger becomes political focus


The good news is that global hunger is now a priority of agricultural and development officials. There is a movement to include the whole government in this issue in order to finish it. However, the reason it has become such a priority is that the food crisis of 2007-08 has elevated this issue from just poverty to national and global security. Mrs. Clinton gave a speech stating that massive hunger is not just a social problem, that it poses a threat to the stability of governments, societies and borders. This not just a question of enough food for some people but rather involves economic security, environmental security and national security. As food prices are rising, it becomes harder for those in extreme poverty to provide enough food for their families, let alone rise economically in society. This issue has been neglected for almost 30 years and is just starting to see an increase in foreign aid and attention. This of course will be discussed in length at next week's World Summit on Food Security held in Rome. The summit is organized by the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation. The talks were prompted by the food crisis of last year, creating the forum in which to address these problems which leads to the food crisis becoming a top priority for governments.

-Sara Frodge