by Kristin Schaaf

Created on: May 30, 2008

As our global poverty rate continues to rise, so with it will our global hunger.

The media is quick to blame the growing worldwide poverty and hunger rates on the plummeting American dollar and skyrocketing costs of fuel and food. But there are problems underlying even these issues that our nations must come together and face.

Just over a decade ago, 180 countries came together at the World Food Summit to seek ending world hunger. We must come together again and collaborate for real solutions.

"Most developing countries will not reach the MDG (Millennium Development Goal) [to cut in half the number of hungry people living on less than a dollar a day in 25 years] target on hunger and poverty, let alone those focusing on education, health, and human rights. According to World Bank projections, by 2015, 700 million people worldwide will remain poor many of them extremely poor and 600 million will go hungry."

In 2007, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) hosted a conference, "Taking Action for the World's Poor and Hungry People", to address several root issues of our global poverty and hunger.

Lack of access. Hundreds of millions worldwide are going hungry. In fact, more than 800 million people do not have adequate access to food. That's more than two-and-a-half times the number of people currently living in the United States. And, more than one billion people live on less than one dollar a day. Again, that's one-sixth of the entire world's population that is living on just pennies a day. Most of the booming poor and hungry population is in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Lack of resources. Without access, it is nearly impossible to have the resources to acquire food or money. The poorest in our globe live in under-developed countries, or countries experiencing war or conflict. Many of these nations lack the know-how or the resources to help the impoverished. This means that the poor are often unable to get out of poverty on their own, as they are caught in a "poverty trap". This is where other nations must step in, collaborating and providing the necessary resources to end the poverty that leads to hunger.

Lack of agricultural development. Without sustainable agriculture or economic sustainability, there are very few opportunities or resources for food or employment. And, poor free trade policies like the North American Free Trade Agreement cause farmers to often outsource their products for a cheaper price than what they are worth. Countries

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>