Slump Pushes World Hunger to 40 Year High

[Stuart G]

Source: Raw Story,. The Independent.

A combination of the food crisis and the global economic downturn has pushed more than 1 billion people into hunger in 2009, about 100 million more people than last year.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Food Programme said 1.02 billion people are undernourished in 2009, the highest number in four decades.

The increase in the number of hungry people is not a result of poor harvests but is due to high food prices – particularly in developing countries – lower incomes and lost jobs.

"The rising number of hungry people is intolerable," said FAO director-general, Jacques Diouf. "We have the economic and technical means to make hunger disappear, what is missing is a stronger political will to eradicate hunger forever."

See World News at Raw Story...



Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/

[jwirr]

1. Our family supports a little boy in Tanzania through Compassion,

International. When this hunger surge started I tried to talk them into letting us send more but they would not. I am hoping that they will get the message soon.

[dcsmart]

3. great thing to do...

[dcsmart]

2. the bottom line is that we live in an evil world

where selfishness and materialism is the primary nature of humans which capitalism perpetuates. many religious leaders just blatter on about prayer in schools, gay marriage, and being saved.... i am not saying all religious groups, i support the Catholic Worker movement and other religious food shelters.. but, really, why don't we teach compassion in school. there are simple exercises that strengthen that other primary nature of ours...

http://zenhabits.net/2007/06/a-guide-to-cultivating-compassion-in-your-life-with-7-practices/
A Guide to Cultivating Compassion in Your Life, With 7 Practices

anyway...thanks for posting....

[WriteDown]

4. Correct....

Its human nature to look out for one's own self interests. I have often wondered why we offer food aid to other countries though while people right here at home are hungry.

[Stuart G]

5. You are right on..

People are starving right here..Sadly, and elsewhere too. Very sad.

[jwirr]

6. I was on the hunger committee for our church and as one of the poor

in this community after researching the resources offered said that our community is doing very good at trying to fight local hunger. We have the usual like food stamps, commodities but we also have food shelve, SHARE and our ministerial group has special funds they can use for this purpose when there are no other alternatives. Seniors have meals on wheels and meals at the senior center. Many of our section 8 housing now serve a lunch as part of their services.

[Throd]

7. What was the global population in 1969?

[Stuart G]

8. Population of world 1970 3.7 Billion...see link

http://geography.about.com/od/obtainpopulationdata/a/worldpopulation.htm

We grow much more food, but we have many more people. Price of rice and wheat has skyrocketed recently.