What Can we do about World Hunger?

Food First

Thoughts about the Future

• “The way people think about hunger is the greatest obstacle toward ending it.”-- Peter Rosset, Food First

Thoughts about the Future

• “The only real risk is the risk of thinking

too small.”• -Frances Moore Lappe

Thoughts about the Future

• “The world has enough for man's need, but not for man's greed.”

--Mahatma Ghandi

Questions

• Should we have guilt?– fear?

• Can we protect the environment– and grow enough food?

• Should we seek justice?– efficiency?

• Can we eliminate hunger – without losing freedom?

Freedom From Want by Norman Rockwell

http://www.sattlers.org/mickey/site/archive/2005/11/images/rockwell-freedom-from-want.jpg

Five Principles

• I. Hunger results from human choices– not inexorable forces of

nature. • Therefore we can choose

to end hunger – in the same way we chose

to end slavery.

Five Principles

• II. Democracy of economic life – and the empowerment

of women • are keys to ending

hunger– and will also reduce

world population growth.

Five Principles

• III. To end hunger will not require destroying the environment– but will require

sustainable agriculture• that can be practiced

by even the poor.

Five Principles

• IV. Greater fairness can lead to ending hunger – if we devise food

systems where • those that do the work

have a greater say • and reap a greater

reward.

Five Principles

• V. The increased well-being of the poor in the third world – can enhance our own

well-being • we need not fear their

advancement.

What can we do?

• If change is possible, we must:– change ourselves – examine our everyday

choices.

ISU student in Africa

Personal Choices

• Get alternative information:– Mainstream TV, press

has a vision clouded by myths.

Personal Choices

• Educate others:– friends– co-workers– family.

• Speak up – when others voice

self-defeating myths.

Personal choices

• Choose a job that contributes to the solution – rather than to the problem.

• Is accumulation of material possession – the real key to a satisfying life?

Personal Choices

• Help hungry, homeless people– through church and

community groups.

Personal Choices

• Participate in:– community planning– more and better jobs– affordable housing– environmental

protection.

Habitat for Humanity

Personal Choices

• Elect officials– committed to

addressing roots of hunger.

Personal Choices

• Spend money on:– less processed– less packaged foods – from co-ops or worker

owned stores.

http://www.sepiasalax.com/07/jpg/baveggies.jpg

Personal Choices

• Boycotts have been successful: – Nestle stopped marketing

baby formula in third world– divestment helped bring

majority rule to South Africa.

Personal choices

• Become an activist: – Social movements

• brought women the vote• got civil rights legislation• helped end war in

Vietnam.

http://www.newint.org/issue151/Images/stillhungry.gif

Moral Courage• Takes courage to challenge

the status quo, – to point out that the world is

awash in food – and all of the suffering is the

result of human decisions. • We risk embarrassment,

– dismissal by friends – to speak out about widespread

false understandings of the world.

Compassion• This courage comes

from the same place our compassion comes from: – our innate moral

sensibilities,– our deepest emotional

intuitions • About our

connectedness to others' well-being.

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Compassion

• Ironically, the message of compassion – and connectedness to

others' well-being

• underlies the dominant western religion– Christianity

Compassion

• But our culture has elevated economic dogma – market and property rights

• above the Christian message – Of love, compassion and

connection.

Mall of America