Ending Hunger Now – what's missing from Josette Sheeran's talk?

August 4, 2011

     By Duncan Green     

Josette Sheeran. Besides the general moral outrage and can-do optimism she conveys, I like the focus on local sourcing, investing in small farmers, school meals, breast feedingĀ and supporting food banks as a form of local food reserve. But some culprits get off very lightly. Nationally, what about governments that either use hunger as a political tactic or turn a blind eye to it because it affects opposition groups or other constituencies they don’t care about? Globally, apart from an oblique reference to food subsidies, there is little mention of rich country policies on biofuels, or cutting aid to agriculture, or land grabs, or driving risks down the value chain to small farmers, or failing to do anything on climate change, which all contribute to the problem. I’d be interested in other reactions to the talk. ]]>

August 4, 2011
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Duncan Green
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