World Hunger 12 Myths

8/12/2019 World Hunger 12 Myths

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World Hunger 12 Myths

Food First

https://commerce12.pair.com/~pront011/images/pubs/books/wohuco.jpg

Text extracted from 12

Myths about Hungerhttp://www.foodfirst.org/12myths


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Myth 1

Not Enough Food to go Around

Reality:

Abundance of food

3,200 calories/person in

grains

Also vegetables, beans,

nuts, root crops, grass-fed

meats, fish.

Most people too poor to

buy the food Many hungry countries

are net exporters of food

https://reader010.{domain}/reader010/html5/0618/5b26d95e411ae/5b26d95fc5f80.jpg

Vietnam food market


3/13

Myth 2

Nature is to Blame for Famine

Reality:

Food is always available

to those who can afford it

Starvation hits the poorest

Human institutions, policies

determine who will eat

during hard times

Millions live near disaster

Deprived of land

Debt

Low pay

Society values economic

efficiency over compassion

Famine in Ethiopia

http://www.wfp.org/newsroom/img/indepth/0505_poss-famine-insurance.jpg


4/13

Myth 3

Too Many People

Reality:

World is undergoingdemographic transition

Birth rates dropping due todecline in death rates

No direct correlation betweenpopulation and hunger

Hunger in Nigeria

Sparsely populated

Wealth in Netherlands

Densely populated Population growth due to

poverty and inequity

Peoples lives must improvebefore birth rates drop

http://www.bvallc.com/pensionblog/uploaded_images/Crowd-702052.jpg


5/13

Myth 4

The Environment vs. More Food?

Reality:

Environmental crisis

is threatening food

production

Efforts to feed the hungry are not causing the

environmental crisis

Profits for developed

countries are the problem

Deforestation Pesticides

Deforestation in Brazil for hardwoods

http://www.realestatetwincities.net/wp-

content/uploads/2007/10/istock_000003249271devastation480x319.jpg


6/13

Myth 5

The Green Revolution is the Answer

Reality:

Green Revolution:

Huge production advanceswith improved seeds

But economic power

Still concentrated in hands ofa few

Poor cannot afford to buygrain

Hunger persists while grain

exports have increased India

Mexico

Philippines

https://reader010.{domain}/reader010/html5/0618/5b26d95e411ae/5b26d96196f90.jpg

Father of the Green Revolution


7/13

Myth 6

We Need Large Farms

Reality:

Large landowners control bestland

Often leave much of it idle

Often inefficiently farmed bytenet farmers

No incentive

Small farmers

4-5 X output/acre

Work more intensively

Land Reform Distributes land to small

farmers

Successful in raising yields

Bolivian Farmer

http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/images/wsci_01_img0012.jpg


8/13

Myth 7

The Free Market Can End Hunger

Reality:

Market is efficient in

distributing food

If you can buy it

To end world hunger via themarket

Must have widely dispersed

purchasing power

Is a role for government to

help disperse purchasingpower to the poor

Through taxes, credits, land

reforms

http://bp0.blogger.com/_D16GLAdKeZI/RfsmAW-

yhTI/AAAAAAAAAQI/TmliZn1dSmA/s400/Market.jpg

Kenya Market


9/13

Myth 8

Free Trade is the Answer

Reality In poorest countries

Exports boomed, hungerworsened

Brazilian soybeans

Feed cattle in Europe andJapan

Brazilian hunger grows

NAFTA: race for the

bottom

Working people pittedagainst one another

1 million jobs lost in U.S.

1.3 million jobs lost inMexico

Soybean Harvest in Brazil

https://reader010.{domain}/reader010/html5/0618/5b26d95e411ae/5b26d9633057f.jpg


10/13

Myth 9

Too Hungry to Fight for Their Rights

Reality

People do fight for their rights

Mexico

South Africa

People will feed themselves ifallowed to

We need only remove the

obstacles we have placed in

their way

Large corporations

U.S. Government policies

World Bank and IMF

Zapatistas in Mexico

http://angrywhitekid.blogs.com/weblog/images/ezln_campaign.jpg


11/13

Myth 10

More U.S. Aid Will Help the Hungry

Reality: Most U.S. Aid works directly

against the hungry

Aid used to

Impose free trade

Promote exports

Provide arms

Emergency humanitarian Aid

Only 8% of total

Undercuts grain production

in receiving country Benefits U.S. Grain

companies

Little reaches the poor

Best Aid: relieve Debt burden

https://reader010.{domain}/reader010/html5/0618/5b26d95e411ae/5b26d964701ed.jpg


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Myth 11

We Benefit from Their Poverty

Reality:

Continued world

poverty and hunger

is a threat to

American

Jobs, wages

Working conditions

Helping free othersfrom oppression

Helps free us tooSweat Shop in India

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/clipart/jpeg/IndiaLarge/sweatshop_mumbai.jpeg


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Myth 12

Curtail Freedom to End Hunger?

Reality:

Civil liberties

Not threatened by ending hunger

Economic security for all Guarantees liberty

Consistent with our nations

founding vision

Important for ending hunger

Right to unlimited accumulationof wealth?

Not compatible with ending hunger

Contributes to inequity

Unjusthttps://reader010.{domain}/reader010/html5/0618/5b26d95e411ae/5b26d96572534.jpg

Documents

World Hunger 12 Myths