Hunger

July 17, 2008 -- At the 1996 World Food Summit (WFS) in Rome, the United States and more than 180 world leaders pledged to halve the total number of undernourished people worldwide from the 1990 level---a commitment that they reaffirmed in 2000 when they established the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), which included a target to halve the proportion or the percentage of the world's population that is undernourished by 2015.    » read more »

Farmers need resources for next planting season; Experts are optimistic about solving the problem

Cape Town, South Africa, 5 June 2008 – Governments, multilateral organizations and aid agencies should ensure that African smallholders receive the inputs they need for the next planting season and create the conditions for sustained growth in agriculture to defuse what Jacob G. Zuma, President of the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa, called a “time bomb” of food prices that could lead to an “uprising” should the poor be “cut out from buying food”.    » read more »

4-06-2008 -- Geneva (ICRC) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is significantly stepping up its humanitarian relief work in Somalia to respond to the deepening crisis there.

Hundreds of thousands of Somalis face life-threatening food and water shortages due to the escalating armed conflict and the effects of the recent severe drought in central Somalia.

Somalia, April 2008: Photo by Feinstein International Center (CC)

High inflation and the worldwide rise in commodity prices, especially for key imports such as food and fuel, are aggravating the situation.    » read more »

June 3, 2008 -- In remarks presented at a High-Level Conference on World Food Security in Rome, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn today warned that high food prices are a serious humanitarian concern as well as a source of macroeconomic instability affecting budgets, trade balances, prices and incomes almost everywhere in the world.

He urged donor governments and agencies to move swiftly to support appropriate food aid, particularly for the world's poor, calling effective action a "moral and economic imperative."    » read more »

June 2, 2008 -- With the summer harvest season right around the corner, and roadside produce stands popping up at country intersections across the state, the end of spring is a mouthwatering time to think about Michigan agriculture.

When, after months of delays, Congress recently passed the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, also known as the Farm Bill, the season was appropriate. This critical legislation – which was passed over a presidential veto – will offer a boost to the Michigan farmers who sell their produce locally and who send Michigan-grown agriculture across the country. The bill will also crack down on speculators who are driving high energy prices, and offer much-needed support for conservation, biofuels and nutrition programs.    » read more »

June 2, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-DE) issued the following statement urging the 40 heads of state expected at tomorrow’s world food summit in Rome to unite in taking bold, decisive steps to alleviate the global food crisis:

“Tomorrow’s summit offers a significant opportunity for world leaders to address the global food crisis. For 20 years we have not invested enough in agricultural assistance. The results for the developing world have been disastrous. We are in danger of reversing the progress against poverty we’ve made over the last seven years.    » read more »

Joined by Oregon food industry companies, the Governor challenges others in industry to help meet growing demand

May 29, 2008 -- (Portland) – Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski today issued his final challenge of Hunger Awareness Week, asking the food industry to find creative ways to partner with the Oregon’s Food Bank Network to feed hungry families.

Creation of these partnerships will help the Network, representing more than 900 food distribution sites across Oregon, provide families with well-balanced, nutritious foods.    » read more »