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Hungering for a solution to food insecurity

11 Nov 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Hunger, thirst, and food shortages are upmost on the minds of the prophet Elijah and the widow he meets in the struggling town of Zarephath in this Sunday’s first reading. Much of southern Africa shares that concern these days, currently facing food shortages that have led to a sharp rise in food insecurity in the region.Lesotho, Malawi, and Zimbabwe are some of the countries where food insecurity is particularly high, according to a report from Food World News. Overall, more than 5.5 million people in the region have been affected."Southern Africa is facing a silent food-insecurity emergency," said Catherine Bragg, United Nations Deputy Humanitarian Chief, who visited Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe recently. Bragg was in the region on a five-day visit to review the food situation to work with the governments there to come up with a feasible solution."In Lesotho, about a third of the population does not have enough food to eat or sell. In Zimbabwe, 1.6 million people are expected to be food insecure, and many families are selling their own livestock to cope with this dire situation," she said.The uptick in food insecurity is attributed to floods and droughts in key food-growing regions in Southern Africa. Moreover, while South Africa has enough to export to its neighbors, the fact that it grows genetically modified food crops makes its food exports unwelcome in several African countries. High prices of food commodities in the global market have also led to a drop in food imports.The United Nations estimates that by 2050 at least 77 million more people will be going hungry than are doing so today. Part of the problem is the dominance of agriculture for export—"cash crops"—that take away from people the richest yielding agricultural land in many parts of the world. The U.N. has urged nations to cooperate to balance market forces with the basic human need for food. Source: An article by Sharon Robinson for Food World News

zimbabwe cash crops genetically modified food food exports catherine bragg malawi lesotho southern africa food shortages food insecurity south africa food world news

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Hunger pangs persist worldwide

29 Jan 2017 - Preaching the News for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

Those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” shall be satisfied, Jesus promises in this Sunday’s gospel featuring the revered Beatitudes. Those who hunger for food, however, too often go unsatisfied, according to recent reports. In fact, global hunger levels are at their highest level in decades with Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen facing the risk of famine and 70 million people in need of food aid, a specialist U.S.-based agency said on Wednesday. People in 45 countries are unable to feed themselves largely because of conflict, drought, and economic instability, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) said. "The combined magnitude, severity, and geographic scope of anticipated emergency food assistance needs during 2017 is unprecedented in recent decades," FEWS NET said in a statement. In northeastern Nigeria, hit by a seven-year insurgency by Boko Haram terrorists, a study backed by U.N. and other aid agencies suggests famine occurred in 2016 and could be ongoing. In Yemen and South Sudan, persistent conflict, economic instability, and restricted humanitarian access make famine possible in 2017, FEWS NET said. In Somalia, failed 2016 rains and a forecast of poor spring rains threaten a repeat of 2011 when famine killed 260,000 people. An El Niño, or warming of the Pacific Ocean, in 2016, followed by La Niña, characterised by unusually cold temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, in 2017 are causing hardship across the Horn of Africa and southern Africa. The hunger problem doesn’t stop there. According to the newly released 2017 Global Hunger Index, across one-fourth of the globe, people aren’t getting the nutrients they need to stay healthy. In many countries, the cause isn’t a lack of food—it’s a lack of safe food, observers say. The risk of malnutrition caused by unsafe food is increasing, as human populations grow and continue to urbanize. This public health problem can be solved, not by doctors but by veterinarians. They’re crucial to safeguarding the health of animals that are the foundation of much the world’s protein supply. Unfortunately, well-trained veterinarians are in short supply worldwide. The world’s population is projected to increase by 2.6 billion by 2050. Feeding these billions of new mouths will require a 70 percent boost in food production. Increasing levels of urbanization will make it harder to meet the demand for animal protein. Seven in 10 people will live in cities by 2050. Contaminated food can quickly result in malnutrition. Veterinarians are essential to the security of the production of foods like eggs, milk, and meat. They can help ensure that animals are healthy and treated humanely throughout the food chain. Food-safety veterinarians are also critical to warding off illnesses that can kill livestock and lead to food shortages. Consider Rinderpest, or cattle plague. As recently as 20 years ago, epidemics of the disease could wipe out 95 percent of an infected herd, and thus lead to mass human starvation. In 2011, Rinderpest was declared eradicated, thanks largely to the vaccination efforts of public-health veterinarians. Unfortunately, food-animal veterinarians are in decline. Just 17 percent of U.S. veterinarians work with food animals at all—and only 2 percent do so exclusively. Seventy percent of our nation’s veterinarians specialize in dogs and cats. As the demand for food rises, this shortage could have dangerous consequences for public health, says Dr. Timothy Ogilvie, dean of St. George’s University School of Veterinary Medicine in Grenada. Lessons drawn from the readings The psalmist offers words of hope and comfort, promising that the Lord “keeps faith forever” and “gives food to the hungry.” We are called upon to act as the agents of the Lord in ministering to those in need. If the hungry people of the world are to eat their fill, we will need to do our part. Final thought in light of the news The United States falls below the average amount countries spend on giving for international aid development (0.4 percent of gross national income), and it is not close to reaching the target agreed upon within the United Nations (0.7 percent of gross national income). Let your elected representatives know that you want the U.S. to step up the aid. Without food, life does not flourish.

Hunger famine malnutrition veterinarians food safety food shortages developing countries

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Word of the Week

24 November 2024

Solemnity

\sə-'lem-nə-tē\

From Latin sollemnis for “fixed ceremonial,” highest-ranking day of the church calendar that celebrates a mystery of faith such as the Trinity, an event in the life of Jesus, Mary, the Mother of God, or another important saint. Solemnities override every other feast or memorial, including Sundays in Ordinary Time. The church assigns Sundays and solemnities three readings—from a prophet, apostle, and gospel—to instruct the faithful in the work of salvation.

Pronunciation Read more

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