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"Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for life." So obvious in its simple logic, it is tragic to realize we haven't paid heed to the wise message in this old adage. It is a fact that hunger is the biggest calamity in the world, greater than disease, natural disasters and war. It is a greater problem today than it has ever been; it threatens world peace. Hungry people get desperate.

Why has the situation worsened? For a start, the world population continues to grow alarmingly, with fewer people left on the land producing food; - patterns of migration on every continent show mass movement to cities. Consequently, fewer people are producing less food for more people. For city dwellers, their food source is often wrapped in plastic from shops, if they're lucky, or begging if they're not. How many children in cities have ever seen a cow, or a tomato growing on a plant?

As if it were not enough to cause alarm that the world's ever-increasing population is forgetting where food comes from, much of the world's population has been forced to lose their connection with the land. Throughout the world, wars, political and religious strife, and tyrannical despots have driven people from their homes to makeshift refugee camps or ghettos. Africa, in the last decade, has dealt cruel blows to its people as seen in Darfur, Sudan, Congo and Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe used to be the bread basket of Africa with abundant natural resources. Now it cannot even feed its own people, especially if they're opponents of the president. Greed has benefited a few, leaving the country barren and its people starving. Disease is lurking everywhere as squalor spreads; if hunger doesn't kill - disease will.

Whether caused by global warming or not, natural disasters are wiping out food sources at a catastrophic rate. In the last few years there have been droughts, fires and floods which environmentalists ascribe to global warming, as well as a tsunami, earthquakes, volcanoes and cyclones. All of these have destroyed everything in their paths, leaving thousands of people dead, or homeless and starving. It will take years for Myanmar, China and Indonesia to recover. The United Nations, Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations do sterling work helping those afflicted by disaster. They are ever prepared and on the ready. Developed countries are generally quick to send aid through humanitarian channels and this at least is of some comfort.

What can we, as individuals,

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