Hunger and Food Security |
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The Issue
Eight hundred million people around the world suffer from hunger - not because there is too little food to go around but because of inequalities in access to power that result in unequal distribution of resources. Ending hunger is central to resolving the interrelated issues of population growth, civil unrest and environmental destruction that increasingly threaten the quality of life for everyone. The work of ending hunger must build from people's own creativity - their own skills, resources and decision making. It is essential to create an enabling environment in which people have the opportunity and empowerment they need to develop self-reliance. Women and girls are the most affected by hunger and poverty. Traditionally, women bear the primary responsibilities in the most relevant areas - food production, nutrition, family planning, primary health and education. A central component of effective strategy must be the empowerment of women.
Pests become resistant to the effects of pesticides, requiring farms to adopt new and more potent poisons, to which pests eventually become resistant. When a group of pests is exposed to a toxic chemical, some survive. These hardy few reproduce and their offspring inherit genes resistant to this particular chemical. More than 500 insects have now developed resistance to one or more pesticides. So have 270 species of weeds and 150 plant diseases. Factory farming One of the most significant changes in the food system today is the relentless loss of family-sized farms. The number of family farms has dropped by 300,000 since 1979, as multinational agribusiness corporations have gained more control over farm production, commodities and markets. The Federal Centers for Disease Control have linked the dramatic increase in food-borne illnesses to the industrialization of agriculture and the enormous size of many processing facilities. Today 60% of hog farming is controlled by just four meat packing companies. Increasing pressure from corporations to produce genetically modified food The planting of genetically modified crops has grown exponentially in the past decade. There have been no long-term studies on health or environmental effects and the industry has operated within a weak regulatory system. Concerns about unknown allergenic effects, infiltration to native species, increased insect resistance, pollution of organic crops and impacts on local and indigenous growers due to the patented seeds have not been answered.
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