In addition to holding back Muammar Gaddafi’s forces, people in the rebel-held city of Benghazi in eastern Libya are fending off a lack of access to food. The conflict has raised prices of food supplies and suppliers are cutting off Libyan store owners who cannot guarantee payment because of the difficulty in accessing funds. The […]
The UN Human Rights Council has authorized a new three-year mandate for Olivier De Schutter to continue as the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food. The Special Rapporteur’s position was established to “…respond fully to the necessity for an integrated and coordinated approach in the promotion and protection of the right to food,” […]
Kenyans protested against high food and oil prices last week, demanding policies to address the rapidly increasing cost of living. “I am here to demonstrate because things have gone high, things like maize flour, sugar and kerosene,” said one protester. The price of maize flour, a staple food for Kenyans, has gone up 27% in […]
Seventeen million children in the U.S., nearly 1 in 4, are at risk of hunger. Feeding America has partnered with ConAgra Foods for a “Child Hunger Ends Here” campaign. Visitors to the campaign’s website can enter the purchase code from ConAgra food brands; including Chef Boyardee, Healthy Choice, Peter Pan peanut butter and more. ConAgra […]
As Easter weekend arrives, the World Food Programme (WFP) reminded the public of the effect of hunger on children. Citing how 20 million children worldwide could be fed for two years by the $2.3 billion spent on the annual Easter candy sales in the U.S. and UK, WFP urged people to donate the amount of […]
President Yoweri Museveni’s government in Uganda has cracked down on the latest “Walk to Work” day organized by his political rivals. This campaign is designed to protest rising fuel and food prices, putting food purchases out of reach of many of Uganda’s urban poor. Drought conditions in eastern Africa have driven up food prices and […]
To ameliorate the coordination of food security during humanitarian crises, food security organizations and humanitarian aid NGOs have created the global Food Security Cluster (gFSC). Led by the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), World Food Program (WFP) and the International Committee for the Red Cross, gFSC is intended to be “‘…a powerful tool to […]
Cassava is the newest addition to the biofuel line-up, joining others such as corn, palm oil, and sugar, and has doubled in price because of its new role, according to The New York Times. Most of this increase was caused by increase in export of cassava to China from Thailand, the world’s largest cassava exporter. […]
Will Schanbacher holds a PhD in Religious Studies from Claremont Graduate University. His research and teaching interests include social ethics, globalization and poverty, religious ethics, and liberation theologies. His recent book, The Politics of Food: The Global Conflict between Food Security and Food Sovereignty offers an ethical examination of the current global food system and […]
Food is in short supply in the Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire), where factions are fighting over the disputed presidential election of November, 2010. Incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo has refused to step down even though the United Nations, the African Union, the United States and the European Union have have recognized Alassane Ouattara as the winner. […]
Four years remain in the quest to accomplish the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) , and some countries have made great efforts to achieve the goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. Through the Millennium Villages project, supported by the Millennium Promise, UN Development Programme, and The Earth Institute Columbia University, African villages are able […]
Radioactive iodine and cesium was found in spinach and milk as well as other food products in the region of the Fukushima nuclear power plants on Saturday. The World Health Organization has called the situation serious, and the Japanese government is taking precautions, such as banning shipments of certain produce from Fukushima and neighboring prefectures […]
The Japanese government and international food aid organizations are working hard to provide relief to the people in Japan’s northeast who were affected by last week’s earthquake and tsunami. The twin natural disasters and crisis at the Fukishima nuclear plants have set off “panic buying” of food, both in areas most directly affected and those […]
In addition to the previous post about ways that you can contribute to Japan’s relief, here are some other initiatives of note: The World Food Programme (WFP) is collecting funds to “provide specialized logistics support in the delivery of water, tents, and blankets to families who need them the most.” The National Hockey League (NHL) […]
UPDATE: March 15, 2011, 11:00 AM EST: In addition to the links to aid organizations and funds that are aiding Japan, the Japanese Red Cross Society and the American Red Cross are providing disaster relief. The Japanese Salvation Army is also actively aiding in the affected areas. Lady Gaga is offering fans a “We Pray […]