Amy Goodman: Hungering for a True Thanksgiving

[marmar]

from Truthdig:



Hungering for a True Thanksgiving

Posted on Nov 17, 2009
By Amy Goodman


“In the next 60 seconds, 10 children will die of hunger,” says a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) online video. It continues, “For the first time in humanity, over 1 billion people are chronically hungry.”

The WFP launched the Billion for a Billion campaign this week, urging the 1 billion people who use the Internet to help the billion who are hungry. But if you think that hunger is far from our shores, here is some food for thought ... and action: The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report Monday stating that in 2008 one in six households in the U.S. was “food insecure,” the highest number since the figures were first gathered in 1995.

Economist Raj Patel, author of “Stuffed and Starved: Markets, Power and the Hidden Battle for the World’s Food System,” told me he was “gobsmacked” by the U.S. hunger numbers, which he finds appalling: “The reason that we have this huge increase in hunger in the United States, as around the world, isn’t because there isn’t enough food around. Actually, we produced a pretty reliable solid crop last year. ... The reason people go hungry is because of poverty.”

In addition to the online campaign, the United Nations is hosting the World Summit on Food Security in Rome this week, hoping to unite world leaders on the cause of eliminating hunger. Patel remarked on the U.N. summit, “They’re making all the right sounds about hunger around the world, but as some of the activists outside that summit are saying, poor people can’t eat promises.”

Almost 700 people from 93 countries, many of whom are small-scale food producers, have gathered outside the U.N. summit. They are there in behalf of the People’s Food Sovereignty Forum, and they are pushing for small-scale, organic, sustainable food-sovereignty and food-security programs, as opposed to large-scale agribusiness with its dependence on genetically modified organisms and chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Michelle Obama said last March when planting the White House’s organic kitchen garden, “It is so important for them to get regular fruits and vegetables in their diets, because it does have nutrients, it does make you strong, it is all brain food.” The first lady of the U.S. made the point that a homegrown, organic garden is a sustainable and affordable way to strengthen family food security. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/hungering_for_a_true_thanksgiving_20091117/

[Hestia]

1. At least the Romans, during their empire building, gave each citizen 1 loaf of bread per day

and there were over 1 million people in Rome, all thanks to an adequate water supply - the aqueducts. Can't we do the same here!? If quit allowing the food processors to use the good food for junk, then we would have enough to feed everybody at least one meal per day, gratis.

[katty]

2. good post..yes, let them eat cake! o, sorry, no $ for cake either.

Obama, use one of your 'executive privileges' TODAY, declare a state of HUNGER EMERGENCY in the U.S. and release funds to Food Banks, Charities providing meals, etal - STAT!

[niyad]

3. can't rec (and this only got TWO rec's??) but will kick for this incredibly important issue

[Iwillnevergiveup]

4. Ditto n/t

:kick: