12 Myths on Poverty

7/25/2019 12 Myths on Poverty

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ON POVERTY: 12 MYTHS ABOUT HUNGER

by Frances Moore Lappé, Joseph Collins and Peter Rosset, with Luis Esparza

Why so much huner!What can we do about it!

"o answer these #uestions we must unlearn much o$ what we ha%e been

tauht&

'nly by $reein oursel%es $rom the rip o$ widely held myths can we rasp

the roots o$ huner and see what we can do to end it&

Myth 1 - Not Enough Food to Go Around

Re!"ty: Abundance, not scarcity, best describes the world's food supply.

Enough wheat, rice and other grains are produced to provide every human

being with 3,500 calories a day. hat doesn't even count many othercommonly eaten foods ! vegetables, beans, nuts, root crops, fruits, grass!fed

meats, and "sh. Enough food is available to provide at least #.3 pounds of

food per person a day worldwide: two and half pounds of grain, beans and

nuts, about a pound of fruits and vegetables, and nearly another pound of

meat, mil$ and eggs!enough to ma$e most people fat%

The #ro$!e% "& tht %ny #eo#!e re too #oor to $uy readily available

food. Even most (hunry countries( have enough food for all their people

right now. &any are net eporters of food and other agricultural products.

(((((((((((((

Myth 2 - Nture'& to B!%e (or F%"ne

Re!"ty: )t's too easy to blame nature. *uman!made forces are ma$ing

people increasingly vulnerable to nature's vagaries. +ood is always available

for those who can aord it-starvation during hard times hits only the

poorest. &illions live on the brin$ of disaster in south Asia, Africa and

elsewhere, because they are deprived of land by a powerful few, trapped in

the unremitting grip of debt, or miserably paid. atural events rarely eplain

deaths/ they are simply the "nal push over the brin$.

Hu%n "n&t"tut"on& nd #o!")"e& deter%"ne *ho et& nd *ho



&tr+e& dur"ng hrd t"%e&, i$ewise, in America many homeless die from

the cold every winter, yet ultimate responsibility doesn't lie with the

weather. The re! )u!#r"t& re n e)ono%y tht ("!& to oer everyone

opportunities, and a society that places economic e1ciency over

compassion.

(((((((((((((

Myth - Too Mny Peo#!e

Re!"ty: 2irth rates are falling rapidly worldwide as remaining regions of the

hird orld begin the demographic transition-when birth rates drop in

response to an earlier decline in death rates. Although rapid population

growth remains a serious concern in many countries, no*here doe&

#o#u!t"on den&"ty e.#!"n hunger.

+or every 2angladesh, a densely populated and hungry country, we "nd a

igeria, 2ra4il or 2olivia, where abundant food resources coeist with hunger.

osta 6ica, with only half of *onduras' cropped acres per person, boasts a

life epectancy-one indicator of nutrition -77 years longer than that of

*onduras and close to that of developed countries.

R#"d #o#u!t"on gro*th "& not the root )u&e o( hunger. i$e hungeritself, it results from underlying ine8uities that deprive people, especially

poor women, of economic opportunity and security. R#"d #o#u!t"on

gro*th nd hunger re ende%") to &o)"et"e& *here !nd o*ner&h"#/

0o$&/ edu)t"on/ he!th )re/ nd o!d ge &e)ur"ty re $eyond the

re)h o( %o&t #eo#!e. hose hird orld societies with dramatically

successful early and rapid reductions of population growth rates!hina, 9ri

an$a, olombia, uba and the )ndian state of erala!prove that the lives of

the poor, especially poor women, must improve before they can choose to

have fewer children.

(((((((((((((

Myth - The En+"ron%ent +&, More Food



Re!"ty: e should be alarmed that an environmental crisis is undercutting

our food!production resources, but a tradeo between our environment and

the world's need for food is not inevitable. Eorts to feed the hungry are not

causing the environmental crisis. 3rge )or#ort"on& re %"n!y

re&#on&"$!e (or de(ore&tt"on-)ret"ng nd #ro4t"ng (ro% de+e!o#ed-

)ountry )on&u%er de%nd (or tro#")! hrd*ood& nd e.ot") or out-

o(-&e&on (ood "te%&.

&ost pesticides used in the hird orld are applied to eport crops, playing

little role in feeding the hungry, while in the ;.9. they are used to give a

blemish!free cosmetic appearance to produce, with no improvement in

nutritional value.

Alternatives eist now and many more are possible. he success of organic

farmers in the ;.9. gives a glimpse of the possibilities. 5u$'& re)ent&u))e&& "n o+er)o%"ng (ood )r"&"& through self!reliance and

sustainable, virtually pesticide!free agriculture is another good eample.

)ndeed, environmentally sound agricultural alternatives can be more

productive than environmentally destructive ones.

(((((((((((((

Myth 6 - The Green Re+o!ut"on "& the An&*er

Re!"ty: he production advances of the <reen 6evolution are no myth.

han$s to the new seeds, million of tons more grain a year are being

harvested. 2ut (o)u&"ng nrro*!y on "n)re&"ng #rodu)t"on )nnot

!!e+"te hunger $e)u&e "t ("!& to !ter the t"ght!y )on)entrted

d"&tr"$ut"on o( e)ono%") #o*er that determines who can buy the

additional food.

hat's why in several of the biggest Green Re+o!ut"on successes-)ndia,

&eico, and the Ph"!"##"ne&-grain production and in some cases, eports,

have climbed,*h"!e hunger h& #er&"&ted nd the !ong-ter%

#rodu)t"+e )#)"ty o( the &o"! "& degrded. ow we must "ght the

prospect of a )*ew +reen Re%olution) based on biotechnology, which

threatens to further accentuate ine8uality.



(((((((((((((

Myth 7 - 8e Need 3rge Fr%&

Re!"ty: 3rge !ndo*ner& *ho )ontro! %o&t o( the $e&t !nd o(ten!e+e %u)h o( "t "d!e, ;n=ust farming systems leave farmland in the hands

of the most ine1cient producers. 2y contrast, small farmers typically achieve

at least four to "ve times greater output per acre, in part because they wor$

their land more intensively and use integrated, and often more sustainable,

production systems.

8"thout &e)ure tenure/ the many millions of tenant farmers in the hird

orldh+e !"tt!e "n)ent"+e to invest in land improvements, to rotate crops,

or to leave land fallow for the sa$e of long!term soil fertility. +uture food

production is undermined. >n the other hand, redistribution of land can favor

production.

5o%#rehen&"+e !nd re(or% h& %r9ed!y "n)re&ed #rodu)t"on "n

)ountr"e& & d"+er&e & #n/ ;"%$$*e/ nd T"*n. A orld 2an$

study of northeast 2ra4il estimates that redistributing farmland into smaller

holdings would raise output an astonishing ?0 percent.

(((((((((((((

Myth < - The Free Mr9et 5n End Hunger

Re!"ty: ;nfortunately, such a @mar$et!is!good, government!is!bad@ formula

can never help address the causes of hunger. 9uch a dogmatic stance

misleads us that a society can opt for one or the other, when in fact every

economy on earth combines the mar$et and government in allocating

resources and distributing goods.The %r9et'& %r+e!ou& e=)"en)"e&

)n on!y *or9 to eliminate hunger, however, *hen #ur)h&"ng #o*er "&*"de!y d"&#er&ed.

9o all those who believe in the usefulness of the mar$et and the necessity of

ending hunger must concentrate on promoting not the mar$et, but the

consumers% )n this tas$, government has a vital role to play in countering the

tendency toward economic concentration, through genuine ta, credit,



and !nd re(or%& to disperse buying power toward the poor.

6ecent trends toward #r"+t">t"on nd de-regu!t"on re %o&t

de4n"te!y not the n&*er,

(((((((((((((

Myth ? - Free Trde "& the An&*er

Re!"ty: he trade promotion formula has proven an ab=ect failure at

alleviating hunger. @n %o&t Th"rd 8or!d )ountr"e& e.#ort& h+e

$oo%ed *h"!e hunger h& )ont"nued un$ted or )tu!!y *or&ened.

hile soybean eports boomed in 2ra4il!to feed apanese and Europeanlivestoc$!hunger spread from one!third to two!thirds of the population.

here the ma=ority of people have been made too poor to buy the food

grown on their own country's soil, those who control productive resources

will, not surprisingly, orient their production to more lucrative mar$ets

abroad.

Eport crop production s8uee4es out basic food production. Pro-trde

#o!")"e& !"9eNAFTA and GATT8TO #"t *or9"ng #eo#!e "n d"erent

)ountr"e& g"n&t e)h other "n )race to the bottom,) where the basis of

competition is who will wor$ for less, without ade8uate health coverage or

minimum environmental standards. &eico and the ;.9. are a case in point:

since A+A we have had a net loss of B50,000 =obs here, while &eico has

lost B million, and hunger is on the rise in both countries.

(((((((((((((

Myth C - Too Hungry to F"ght (or The"r R"ght&

Re!"ty: 2ombarded with images of poor people as wea$ and hungry, we

lose sight of the obvious: for those with few resources, mere survival re8uires

tremendous eort. )f the poor were truly passive, few of them could even

survive. Around the world, from the Capatistas in hiapas, &eico, to the

farmers' movement in )ndia, wherever people are suering needlessly,



movements for change are underway.

Peo#!e *"!! (eed the%&e!+e&/ "( !!o*ed to do &o. )t's not our =ob to )set

thins riht) for others. >ur responsibility is to remove the obstacles in their

paths,o$&t)!e& o(ten )reted $y !rge )or#ort"on& nd U,S,

go+ern%ent/ 8or!d Bn9 nd @MF #o!")"e&,

(((((((((((((

Myth 1D - More U,S, A"d 8"!! He!# the Hungry

Re!"ty: &ost ;.9. aid wor$s directly against the hungry. Fore"gn "d )n

on!y re"n(or)e/ not )hnge/ the &ttu& uo, here governments answeronly to elites, our aid not only fails to reach hungry people, it shores up the

very forces wor$ing against them.

Our "d "& u&ed to "%#o&e (ree trde nd (ree %r9et #o!")"e&/ to

#ro%ote e.#ort& t the e.#en&e o( (ood #rodu)t"on/ nd to #ro+"de

the r%%ent& tht re#re&&"+e o+ern%ent& u&e to &ty "n #o*er .

Even emergency, or humanitarian aid, which ma$es up only "ve percent of

the total, often ends up enriching American grain companies while failing to

reach the hungry, and it can dangerously undercut local food production in

the recipient country. )t would be better to use our foreign aid budget for

unconditional debt relief, as it is the foreign debt burden that forces most

hird orld countries to cut bac$ on basic health, education and anti!poverty

programs.

(((((((((((((

Myth 11 - 8e Bene4t Fro% The"r Po+erty

Re!"ty: he biggest threat to the well!being of the vast ma=ority of

Americans is not the advancement but the continued deprivation of the

hungry. 3o* *ge&-$oth $rod nd "n "nner )"t"e& t ho%e-%y

%en )he#er $nn&/ &h"rt&/ )o%#uter& nd (&t (ood (or %o&t



A%er")n&/ $ut "n other *y& *e #y he+"!y (or hunger nd

#o+erty.

Enforced poverty in the hird orld =eopardi4es ;.9. =obs, wages and wor$ing

conditions as corporations see$ cheaper labor abroad. )n a global economy,

what American wor$ers have achieved in employment, wage levels, and

wor$ing conditions can be protected on!y when wor$ing people in every

country are freed from economic desperation.

*ere at home, policies li$e welfare reform throw more people into the =ob

mar$et than can be absorbed!at below minimum wage levels in the case

of )wor$are)!which puts downward pressure on the wages of those on higher

rungs of the employment ladder. he growing numbers o$ )worin poor) are

those who have part! or full!time low wage =obs yet cannot aord ade8uate

nutrition or housing for their families.

Edu)t"ng our&e!+e& $out the )o%%on "ntere&t& %o&t A%er")n&

&hre *"th the #oor "n the Th"rd 8or!d nd t ho%e !!o*& u& to $e

)o%#&&"onte *"thout &!"d"ng "nto #"ty. )n wor$ing to clear the way for

the poor to free themselves from economic oppression, we free ourselves as

well.

(((((((((((((

Myth 12 - 5urt"! Freedo% to End Hunger

Re!"ty: here is no theoretical or practical reason why freedom, ta$en to

mean civil liberties, should be incompatible with ending hunger. 9urveying

the globe, we see no correlation between hunger and civil liberties.

*owever, one nrro* de4n"t"on o( (reedo%-the r"ght to un!"%"ted

))u%u!t"on of wealth!producing property and the right to use that

property however one sees "t!is in fundamental conDict with ending hunger.

By )ontr&t/ de4n"t"on o( (reedo% more consistent with our nation's

dominant founding vision holds that e)ono%") &e)ur"ty (or !! "& the

gurntor o( our !"$erty, 9uch an understanding of freedom is essential to

ending hunger.



-ource. /0 Myths 1bout 2uner based on World 2uner. /0 Myths, 0nd

Edition, by Frances Moore Lappé, Joseph Collins and Peter Rosset, with Luis

Esparza 3$ully re%ised and updated, +ro%e41tlantic and Food First 5oos, 'ct&

/6678

9nstitute $or Food and :e%elopment Policy 5acrounder-ummer /667,

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-ource. http.44www&$oodArst&or4pubs4bacrdrs4/6674s67%<n=&html

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http://www.foodfirst.org/pubs/backgrdrs/1998/s98v5n3.html

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12 Myths on Poverty