As I walk through my area supermarket I’m struck by the variety and quantity of food that is available to North American consumers.Contrast that with yesterday’s marking of World Food Day. At a conference in Rome, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched another appeal for the world to do better to feed millions of hungry people.
Jacques Diouf, FAO General Director, reflected on the supermarket paradox: “Our planet produces enough food to feed its entire population, yet tonight, 854 million women, men and children will be going to sleep on an empty stomach, without justification and without adequate compensation.”
Horst Kohler, the German President, issued a blunt assessment: “Poverty has two main causes: not being able to share sufficiently in globalization – mainly because of a lack of economic power and good governance and being disadvantaged by states and private players who pursue their own interests with no regard for others.”
Lack of economic power. Poor government. Greed.
Although we’re making continuing progress in world development, it’s clear there’s much work to be done.
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Photo courtesy "Stock.xchange": http://www.sxc.hu
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