Causecast

by CLAIRE DALTON, Contributing Writer

In 1996, 186 countries at the World Food Summit set a goal to halve the number of hungry people in the world (which was then at 800 million) by 2015. Not only had progress been slow, but world hunger has reached a new high, says the Food and Agriculture Organization. Today, more than one billion people in the world are hungry, currently defined as consuming 1800 calories or less per day. That’s one in six people, 100 million or 11% more than last year, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

Due to the global economy and high food prices, we have become a world in crisis. Developing countries have less flexibility for price fluctuations, and many poorer countries are being forced to focus on short-term emergencies, losing their ability to plan for the long-term. As a result, many are surviving on cheap grains that are high in calories but low on nutrition. Developed countries have not been untouched either, accounting for 15% of those living with hunger. According to International Food Policy Research Institute and Josette Sheeran’s Annual Report essay for 2007-2008, the cost of food has aggressively skyrocketed; from 2002 to 2007, the cost to acquire basic foods for the World Food Programme increased by 50%. From June 2007 to February 2008, it had increased by another 50%, mirroring the challenges of global citizens.

Currently, governments are being asked to respond by supporting small farmers with seeds, tools, and fertilizer, create social protection programs to improve the availability of food to those in need, and support agricultural production in low-income countries, where they can make the most difference.

There are a number of ways you can help each of these initiatives.
•Donate to and feed those in your community who are in need.
•To help the global community, check out organizations like Kiva and the UN World Food Programme.
•If you’re looking for something you can act on right away, donate rice to communities in need at Freerice.com.

With 25,000 people dying every day of hunger, every bit of help counts.

Photo by IndyDina and Mr. Wonderful, flickr