October 16th is World Food Day – What does that mean to you? Except when you were ill, have you ever been a day without food? How about two days? Three? You’ve probably eaten leftovers from time to time – but other people’s? FAO estimates there are now 105 million hungry people in the world; this isn’t hunger like “what’s for supper – I could eat a horse” or “Mum can I have a burger”; it’s a silent, desperate, stupefying dullness that overwhelms body and mind.
If you’ve ever lived or worked in a third world country (some developing, some apparently not) you will almost certainly have seen real poverty and hunger. The sight of someone, a shuffling old man perhaps, or a gaunt young woman with a baby on her back, looking for their supper in your dustbin is shaming and heartbreaking. They have no shelter, no dole, no soup kitchen, no future.
Each year FAO tries to remind us and our governments that food is fundamental to human life and to human rights. This year the focus is on food security, which might soon begin to hit closer to home as climate change and competition for farmland by non-food crops becomes a reality. Their World Food Day page has some interesting and disturbing reports.
Intute also has a wide collection of resources on food security and nutrition
Tags: Food production, Food security, Hunger, Third world
Scarthingwell says: October 16, 2009 @ 10:59 am
There is supposedly enough food in the world to feed everyone, just not the political will to distribute it so everyone is fed.
Five Hens says: October 16, 2009 @ 5:20 pm
Five Hens has issued a “Do Good” Challenge today for World Food Day. They list some great easy ways you can help TODAY to stamp out world hunger. Take the challenge and Do Good today: http://www.fivehens.com/world-food-day/