The problems that affected Haiti before Tuesday’s earthquake are expected to make aid efforts even more difficult, reports Reuters. Prior to Tuesday, the World Food Program (WFP) had been feed 2 million of Haiti’s 9 million population, or over 22%. “The country has a long history of insecurity and violence. One of the major drug […]
The damage wrought on Haiti’s infrastructure by Tuesday’s 7.0 earthquake has made it extremely difficult for aid agencies to deliver much needed food and medicine. The Los Angeles Times reports how Haitians have taken matters into their own hands, looting a warehouse in Port-au-Prince where the World Food Programme (WFP) stored 15,000 tons of food […]
In 2009, the World Food Programme (WFP) shipped approximately enough food aid to feed 5.9 million people in Sudan. As food aid is shipped into the country, thousands of tons of wheat and rice are almost simultaneously exported to other nations. The paradox is that Sudan is unable to feed its domestic population, yet exports […]
Late December brought the killing of Ali Farah Amey, the chief of security of the World Food Programme (WFP) in the Hiiraan region of Somalia. Hezbal Islam militants had just one day prior issued an edict demanding the registration of all relief workers. In a direct signal to Western aid agencies, militants of the Islamic […]
Irish Aid, the Government’s programme for oversees development managed by its Department of Foreign Affairs will expand funding to subsidize seeds, pesticides, and fertilizers and increase maize production for families at risk of hunger in Malawi. The Belfast Telegraph states, “The cash will also improve infant and maternal nutrition by supporting research to provide high-quality, […]
Michael Moss wrote in The New York Times about the production of ground beef made by Beef Products, Inc., a supplier of ground beef used mostly used in many popular fast-food chains and school lunch programs across the United States. The article highlights BPI’s production method for ground beef which includes treating beef trimmings with […]
World Food Program (WFP) officials have stated that UN cutbacks in food aid funding to Nepal have been caused by the drastic financial market downturns and global financial crisis. The UN estimates that it would need roughly $20 million to feed approximately 600,000 people for the next three months – a quarter of the number […]
The BBC recently reported on the recent Eritrean government’s decision to reject international food aid in an effort to promote self-sustaining measures for domestic food growth and measures for prolonged self-sufficiency/sustainability. Eritrean ambassador to the EU, Girma Asmerom, stated quite matter-of-factly “Food aid demonizes the local population and makes them lazy.” The current government strategies […]
Overview In the past year, global food security has been on the radar of world leaders, who often raised food security issues and brought needed attention to the continuing food crisis and long-term concerns. Policy breakthroughs and substantial action, however, were limited. The challenge was most starkly illustrated by a joint report released by the […]
Reuters reports fierce fighting instigated by insurgent groups in Somalia has caused the relocation of several expatriate workers, while aid agencies fear a continuing breakdown of security in the country. The workers were part of the UN World Food Programme and World Vision, among the last few international aid agencies still providing aid in war-torn […]
A recent report by the Department of Agriculture has shed light on some shocking numbers about the food security of Americans. Last year, the Department reports, the number of Americans that did not have consistent access to food jumped from 36 million to 49 million, the highest increase since 1995. As reported in The […]
Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, was awarded the Foreign Policy Association medal at the organization’s Fall Dinner on November 18th. Watch the video of Dr. Hamburg’s remarks. A partial transcript can be found below: And so, as I take on my new role as Commissioner of the Food and […]
The New York Times reported that last week’s UN’s World Summit on Food Security, once praised for moving developing and developed countries together towards improved aid relations, was an unabashed failure due to lack of progress on substantial issues. The UN FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), the body leading the Summit, has been criticized for […]
Reuters reports that the UN’s World Food Programme has resumed food aid to Bhutanese refugees in Nepal, a month after withdrawing rations due to financial difficulties stemming from the global financial crisis. The shortage of aid available caused food assistance to be halved by the World Food Program in October. Approximately 90,000 refugees of ethnic […]
Reuters reports rapidly melting glaciers and falling water tables in the world’s largest grain-producing nations pose a significant threat to food security. Meeting in Barcelona this week to flesh out details of the looming Copenhagen climate summit in December 2009, negotiators and participants must also taken into account the scientific reports showing unmistakable changes and […]