UN: 1 out of 6 people worldwide are not getting enough to eat

[ck4829]

Parents in some of Africa's poorest countries are cutting back on school, clothes and basic medical care just to give their children a meal once a day, experts say. Still, it is not enough.

A record 1 billion people worldwide are hungry and a new report says the number will increase if governments do not spend more on agriculture. According to the U.N. food agency, which issued the report, 30 countries now require emergency aid, including 20 in Africa.

The trend continues despite a goal set by world leaders nine years ago to cut the number of hungry people in half by 2015.

"It's actually a world emergency that calls for action from both developing and developed countries," said Otive Igbuzor, the head of international campaigns for ActionAid International.

"We know a child dies every six seconds of malnutrition," he said.

Spiraling food prices have added to hardships, especially in the world's most desperate countries where the poor could barely afford a single daily meal to begin with. The inflated prices — which caused riots across the globe last year — have stabilized but remain comparatively high, especially in the developing world, Jacques Diouf, director general of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, told AP Television News.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091014/ap_on_re_eu/eu_un_world_hunger

[rd_kent]

1. The number one thing we can do to fight world hunger is hand out birthcontrol.

[Hello_Kitty]

2. +1,000,000

But prepare to be flamed for even having the temerity to suggest that 6.5 billion "miracles" is enough.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

3. And stop the incessant

making and using of bullets, bombs and such.............

[rd_kent]

4. Not sure how that will stop world hunger

as people will always find a way to fight and kill each other. People will still continue to have babies, though, even when there is no food in sight and bombs are falling on their heads.

[EFerrari]

5. There was a good interview on Amy's show today on this topic.

As US and Other Wealthy Nations Slash Aid, UN Warns of “Silent Tsunami of Hunger” in Global Food Crisis

The UN World Food Program is calling the current global food crisis “a silent tsunami of hunger.” This week the WFP warned that more than 40 million people will have their food rations reduced or eliminated because of drastic aid cuts. We speak with award-winning Indian journalist, writer and activist Devinder Sharma.

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/10/14/as_us_and_other_wealthy_nations

[rd_kent]

7. With every shipment of food there should be a shipment of condoms and BC pills.

THAT would stop world hunger.

[EFerrari]

9. I doubt it. There is no global food shortage -- we have enough food

to feed people. What we don't have is the political will to wrest the supply chain out of the hands of greedy multinational fheads.

Edit: IOW, the crisis is a distribution problem, not a shortage.

[rd_kent]

10. You may be right about the distribution, but there ARE too many people

especially in those countries that cannot feed the people they have. Birth control is the answer, IMO.

[EFerrari]

13. It didn't help that the torture president wouldn't fund AIDS programs

overseas if they included birth control.

We're lucky most of us survived that SOB.

[Hannah Bell]

8. your theory is negated by the fact that people were starving to death when the population

was half, 1/3, 1/4 the size it is today.

also by the fact that europe has many more people per square km than does africa, the hungriest continent.

also by the fact that the us, with about 5% of the world's population, consumes between 10-20% of the world's yearly output of resources.

[rd_kent]

11. We need BC here and in Europe too.

I will be the first to admit that we greedy rich western nations contribute to the problem.

[theophilus]

12. I think the theory is sound. We must choose to reduce the population.

Now, after saying that, I'll add that there are many other things that must be done to stop people from starving. Wars and disruptions must cease. Planning for food production in areas suitable to the food, also. (No rice plantations in the desert, etc.) But I believe population reduction (by choice) is number one. There are too many people already, imo. The U.S. is a horrible example for planning though.

[omega minimo]

6. This is odd

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6777332&mesg_id=6777332