This week, the highly controversial issue of genetically modified organisms (or GMO’s for short) was thrown into the limelight, when members of the European Union proposed a new policy meant to broaden the availability of such foods known to many Europeans as “Frankenfoods.” The flexibility of this new policy is aimed at enabling countries like […]
An AllAfrica.com article reports that state authorities and aid agencies in northern Nigeria are preparing to combat predicted food shortages. This follows poor and erratic rainfall in 2009 and predicted poor rainfall again this year. The Nigeria Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) warned that 12 million people across northern Nigeria could face a lack of basic […]
Recent studies undertaken by the University of Illinois state that new methods of crop development must be adopted in response to climate change if grain production is to meet future demand. Don Ort, a University of Illinois professor of crop sciences and USDA/ARS scientist argues that “global change is happening so quickly that its impact […]
At the 2010 G20 Summit held recently in Toronto, world leaders committed to more funding to address climate change and food security across the globe. Predictably, the global financial crisis has impacted those living in poverty the most, raising food prices above the reach of millions, resulting in an estimated addition of 109 million people […]
When policymakers think about agriculture in Afghanistan, they tend to think in terms of what is grown (opium, with Afghanistan being, by far the world’s largest supplier) and what should be grown (anything else). In April, Anthony Cordesman and Adam Mausner from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released their analysis of Afghan […]
Last week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the winners of the annual World Food Prize. For the first time in its history, the Prize, given each year by The World Food Prize Foundation, will be awarded to the heads of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that fight hunger. The winners are David Beckmann, president of Bread […]
Happy “World Day to Combat Desertification” (WDCD) everyone! It may not be a day on the calendar that everyone keeps exceedingly close tabs on, but a little more information couldn’t hurt. Desertification is a process where land is slowly degraded due to certain human and environmental factors. Occurring in dryland ecosystems that already have scarce […]
The needs of 195 million children suffering from malnutrition around the world are being shown in a new light through the “Starved for Attention” campaign launched last week by Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the VII Photo agency. Between June 2nd and July 19th, the campaign’s website will unveil a series of mini-documentaries […]
The annual Walk the World awareness event will take place on June 6th to raise funds and focus attention on the problem of child hunger. Organized by the World Food Programme (WFP), the event will take place in cities all over the world and as a “virtual walk” online, starts off in Auckland, New Zealand […]
Africa Rural Connect has partnered with World Policy Journal to offer people a chance to write their thoughts about food security in rural Africa. The organizers are looking for creative yet practical ideas for ensuring food security in rural Africa. Some of the contest details include: Submission length: 800-1,200 words Contest dates: June 1, 2010 […]
Last Thursday, the U.S. Government announced its concentrated efforts to reduce global hunger and poverty in 20 countries through an ambitious strategy document known as Feed the Future. Feed the Future reflects steps taken by the U.S. Government to reach its UN Millennium Development Goal of reducing the number of people suffering from hunger and […]
The 1billionhungry project is a petition campaign launched to call attention to the fact that there are 1 billion people around the world who suffer from hunger, and to urge people to demand action from politicians and policymakers. British actor Jeremy Irons appears in a short video for the campaign, echoing Peter Finch’s 1976 performance […]
The publication of the National Peace Corps Association, WorldView Magazine, takes on global food issues in its latest edition. In the article, “A Push for Self-Determination” Kyle Freund, the Communications Manager for Coffee Kids, writes about the campaign for food sovereignty in Veracruz, Mexico. The article discusses how the people of Veracruz have, with the […]
Kanayo Nwanze, president of the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), recently told Reuters that African governments need to invest more in agriculture to not only feed their people, but to secure jobs and prevent flight from rural areas to urban areas. “You have to invest in the rural economy if you want people […]
In the latest edition of Foreign Policy Magazine, Robert Paarlberg writes about how despite high-profile campaigns to raise awareness of the benefits of growing food organically, the movement’s ethos of “…organic, local, and slow — is no recipe for saving the world’s hungry millions.” Instead, Paarlberg defends industrial farming as the method to ensure a […]