Feeding the World

How to go about increasing global food security (preventing hunger around the world) is a growing issue today. A presentation in the foreign press in recent days suggests maybe the current U.S. approach is not correct at least in our approach to Africa. Africa has many problems including governance issues which are difficult to resolve. The issue the author takes on has to do with the specifics of food security and agricultural sustainability.

Remember the old Chinese proverb

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

Today the U.S. approach to world hunger is more often through food subsidies and gifts of U.S. grown products such as rice and corn. Rice is a particular problem with the subsidies given U.S. and European farmers by their governments.

"Food security" will never lead to African food sovereignty and independence until Europe and America do something about their own agricultural subsidies, which they pour on their own farmers.

These subsidies out-compete and ravage Africa's agriculture.

As a leader nation in the world today we must examine our policies to insure we bring the best possible course to all peoples of the globe. We must teach people to be self-sufficient rather than forcing dependency upon them. Self-sufficiency brings increased confidence and breeds content in nations. Dependency leads to unrest in too many instances and breeds resentment which may lead to resistance among impoverished peoples.

We as a nation can do better than we manage today, but we will need to review our practices and perhaps make some major changes to our current course. The Obama administration has made and will continue to make needed changes. The supply of food around the world is one more arena which must be taken into account and given full consideration over the course of time.

Peace.