World Hunger 10 Myths Food First http ecx

World Hunger 10 Myths Food First http: //ecx. images-amazon. com/images/I/51 xx. NCDOun. L. _SX 331_BO 1, 204, 203, 200_. jpg

Myth 1 Too Little Food… • Reality: – Abundance of food • 2, 900 calories/person produced worldwide above and beyond grain for animal feed or non-food uses (ethanol). – Most people too poor to buy the food – Many hungry countries are net exporters of food – ¼ of food is wasted Vietnam food market http: //www. alpha-random. com/pics/vietnam-food-market. jpg

Myth 1 (continued) …Too Many People • Reality: – World is undergoing demographic transition • Birth rates dropping due to decline in death rates – No direct correlation between population and hunger • Hunger in Nigeria – Sparsely populated • Wealth in Netherlands – Densely populated – Population growth due to poverty and inequity • People’s lives must improve before birth rates drop http: //www. bvallc. com/pensionblog/uploaded_images/Crowd-702052. jpg

Myth 2 Climate Change Makes Hunger Inevitable • Reality: – Food production can be much more efficient – Reduction in eating meat will help – Human institutions, policies • determine who will eat during hard times Famine in Ethiopia http: //www. wfp. org/newsroom/img/indepth/0505_poss-famine-insurance. jpg – Food is always available • To those who can afford it • The poor suffer the most

Myth 3 Only Industrial Agriculture & GMOs Can Feed a Hungry World • Reality: – Industrial Agriculture is not Sustainable: • Does not provide solution to long term production problems • Erosion increasing – Economic power concentrated • Inequity increases • Green Revolution benefited wealthy – Poor could not afford to buy grain “Father” of the Green Revolution http: //www. nbipsr. org/images/normbor. jpg

Myth 4 Organic and Ecological Farming Can’t feed a hungry world • Reality: https: //foodfirst. org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/photo-by-ep_jhu-. jpg – Organic Farming is productive, sustainable and holistic – “Agroecology is an evolving practice of growing food within communities that is power-dispersing and power creating—enhancing the dignity, knowledge, and capacities of all involved. ”

Myth 5 We Have to Choose Between Greater Fairness and More Production • Reality: – Justice and productivity go hand in hand – Small farmers • Work more intensively – Land Reform Bolivian Farmer http: //www. waterencyclopedia. com/images/wsci_01_img 0012. jpg • Distributes land to small farmers • Successful in raising yields

Myth 6 The Free Market Can End Hunger • Reality: – Market is efficient in distributing food • If you can buy it! – To end world hunger via the market • Must have widely dispersed purchasing power – Is a role for government to help disperse purchasing power to the poor Kenya Market http: //bp 0. blogger. com/_D 16 GLAd. Ke. ZI/Rfsm. AWyh. TI/AAAAAQI/Tmli. Zn 1 d. Sm. A/s 400/Market. jpg • Through taxes, credits, land reforms

Myth 7 Free Trade is the Answer • Reality – In poorest countries • Exports boomed, hunger worsened – Brazilian soybeans • Feed cattle in Europe and Japan • Brazilian hunger grows – NAFTA: “race for the bottom” Soybean Harvest in Brazil • Working people pitted against one another – 1 million jobs lost in U. S. – 1. 3 million jobs lost in Mexico http: //graphics 8. nytimes. com/images/2007/04/05/business/soy 600. jpg

Myth 8 U. S. Foreign Aid is the Best Way to Help the Hungry • Reality: – Most U. S. Food Aid works directly against the hungry • Aid used to – Impose free trade – Promote exports – Provide arms – Emergency humanitarian Aid http: //www. bread. org/assets/images/learn/food-aid. jpg • Only 6% of total • Undercuts grain production in receiving country • Benefits U. S. Grain companies • Little reaches the poor

Myth 9 It’s Not Our Problem • Reality: – Continued world poverty and hunger • is a threat to American – Jobs, wages – Working conditions Sweat Shop in India – Helping free others from oppression http: //www. montgomeryschoolsmd. org/clipart/jpeg/India. Large/sweatshop_mumbai. jpeg • Helps free us too

Myth 10 Power is Too Concentrated for Real Change -- It’s Too Late • Reality: – Workers and poor farmers are organizing for justice throughout the world • People benefit from interconnection – Economic Democracy is the solution • Slavery used to produce food must end • Fair Trade must flourish – People have a right to eat http: //k 43. pbase. com/u 36/jwalk/large/23732152. mansion. jpg