Godlike Productions - News: The world's biggest problem: Our hungry planet

05:35 PM

News

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Breaking News Back

The world's biggest problem: Our hungry planet

GlobalPost

2009-11-01

BOSTON — Economics is often called — only half-jokingly — the dismal science.

As anyone who's struggled to grasp concepts like agency costs, horizontal equity or the Laffer curve knows, the science can be pretty dismal.

That's especially true when considering the economic aspects of global hunger, where the news is bad and getting worse.

According to the United Nations the number of hungry people this year reached 1.02 billion. That's one in six human beings. Moreover, that figure has been growing each year for more than a decade, while the ravages of the global economic crisis are making matters worse in nearly every corner of the world.

So what's the root of the problem? There are many, of course — endemic poverty, conflict, climate change, bad governance and on and on. But according to the U.N.'s chief food honcho Jacques Diouf, the biggest factor is an economic one: under-investment in agriculture and rural development.

"If people go hungry today it is not because the world is not producing enough food but because it is not produced in the countries where 70 percent of the world's poor live and whose livelihoods depend on farming activities," Diouf said at a U.N. food conference in Geneva. "The challenge is not only to ensure food security for the one billion hungry people today, which is certainly an enormous task, but also to be able to feed a world population that is expected to reach 9.1 billion in 2050," he said.

So what can the dismal science do?

At its heart economics is about finding the most efficient allocation of resources — money, time, capital equipment, employees and all the other complex and interrelated factors that go into providing everything from Boeing airplanes, to Maytag washing machines, to Chinese foot massages, Xbox games, Mini Coopers and food staples like rice, potatoes and corn.

These basic economic principles apply to individual people, families, companies, aid organizations, NGOs and governments. That matters because the global hunger crisis intersects with each of these economic entities.

So the U.N. is urging for an increase in public and private investment to boost agricultural production (and productivity), particularly in poor countries where hunger has reached staggering proportions — such as Asia, where 642 million people are hungry and Sub-Saharan Africa, where 265 million are malnourished.

What's needed, then, is an economic solution: a smarter allocation of resources. And according to Diouf, investment is the place to start.

He points to studies that show GDP derived from agricultural activity is twice as effective in reducing poverty as growth that comes from other areas of an economy, like manufacturing or services.

The U.N.'s argument makes particular sense when seen against the backdrop of recent reporting on GlobalPost. We saw the worsening hunger problem first-hand this week, through the eyes of two correspondents in India — Jason Overdorf and Poh Si Teng.

The two traveled to rural Haryana, where due to a perfect storm of problems small farmers are struggling to make ends meet. As they documented, these rural troubles have now spread to India's urban areas, too, where food prices are skyrocketing and more people are going hungry.

Email Article

Discuss in the Forum

Back

Disclaimer:
This website exists for entertainment purposes only. The reader is responsible for discerning the validity, factuality or implications of information posted here, be it fictional or based on real events. Moderators on this forum make every effort to review the material posted on this site however, it is not realistically possible for our small staff to manually review each and every one of the more than 10,000 posts GodlikeProductions gets on a daily basis.

The content of post on this site, including but not limited to links to other web sites, are the expressed opinion of the original poster and are in no way representative of or endorsed by the owners or administration of this website. The posts on this website are the opinion of the specific author and are not statements of advice, opinion, or factual information on behalf of the owner or administration of GodlikeProductions. This site may contain adult content and if you feel you might be offended by such content, you should log off immediately.

Not all posts on this website are intended as truthful or factual assertion by their authors. Some users of this website are participating in internet role playing, with or without the use of an avatar. NO post on this website should be considered factual information on face value alone. Users are encouraged to USE DISCERNMENT and do their own follow up research while reading and posting on this website. Godlikeproductions.com reserves the right to make changes to, corrections and/or remove entirely at any time posts made on this website without notice. In addition, Godlikeproductions.com disclaims any and all liability for damages incurred directly or indirectly as a result of a post on this website.

This site is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. You should not assume that this site is error-free or that it will be suitable for the particular purpose which you have in mind when using it. In no event shall Godlikeproductions.com be liable for any special, incidental, indirect or consequential damages of any kind, or any damages whatsoever, including, without limitation, those resulting from loss of use, data or profits, whether or not advised of the possibility of damage, and on any theory of liability, arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of this site or other documents which are referenced by or linked to this site.

Some events depicted in certain posting and threads on this website may be fictitious and any similarity to any person living or dead is merely coincidental. Some other articles may be based on actual events but which in certain cases incidents, characters and timelines have been changed for dramatic purposes. Certain characters may be composites, or entirely fictitious.

We do not discriminate against the mentally ill!

Fair Use Notice:
This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Users may make such material available in an effort to advance awareness and understanding of issues relating to civil rights, economics, individual rights, international affairs, liberty, science & technology, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C.Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
For more information please visit:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

Please be aware any communications sent complaining about a post on this website may be posted publicly at the discretion of the administration.

This Disclaimer is subject to change at anytime.

Mail Webmaster with questions or comments about this site.

Privacy Policy - Terms Of Use

Copyright 1999-2009 © GodLikeProductions.com

Page generated in 0.001s (1 queries)