A Global Crisis requires a Global Solution Continued…

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to add to my novel solution in creating a  non-profit social investment fund that supports agricultural businesses in the developing world.  Aside from providing the necessary tools  to farmers in these nations, I think that it should target the root of the problem, which is careful management of the Earth’s natural resources.  I have outlined a more detailed action plan that can improve the current food crises:

1. Instead of investing in larger scale farms, investors from the non-profit social investment fund should inject their funds in  smaller farm communities, where a majority of the land is used for agriculture.
2. Enabling the funds from organizations to aid in improving the condition of the soil that has been abused over the years can benefit and increase crop production.
3.  The poor should be properly educated by volunteer soil specialists and scientists to make use of their agricultural land and even grow small vegetable gardens in their own backyards to feed their families.   
4. Because too many crops from developing nations are being used for biofuel, the government should restrict certain crops, such as maize to not be included in the production of biofuel.

 

A Global Crisis requires a Global Solution

Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization states

Now is the time for action. The food crisis has taught us that to defeat hunger, we have to deal with its root cause and not continue coping with the consequences of past mistakes.

As of recently, 31 countries – 20 in Africa, 9 in Asia, and 2 in Central America and the Caribbean are facing a food crisis and need emergency help.  Therefore, I stumbled across an interesting website about the G-20  Group.  They are a group of twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors established in 1999 to bring together systemically important industrialized and developing economies to discuss key issues in the global economy.  Recently, however, they have come together to acknowledge the combined effects of the current global financial crisis with the global food crisis creating a devastating impact on farmers in developing countries.  In their G-20 Summit Meeting in London, they stated that these financial and food crises have opened up a doorway of opportunity for world leaders to develop a fresh approach to the global trading system and build new trade relationships fit to deal with the current financial and global crises. They state that,

a new approach to global trade must put poor people and the planet first, strengthening local and regional supply chains, and ensuring cooperation in fairer global trade at an international level.

I would like to extend this idea into my novel solution to solve the global food crisis by creating a  non-profit social investment fund that supports agricultural businesses in the developing world.  This fund will offer advanced farming tools and the necessary education poor farmers need to know to harvest their own crops with organic farming.  Moreover, possessing the farmers in developing nations with the skills to be environmentally aware in farming will create their resources to last much longer. I think that developed nations should utilize their funds more effectively to fund local and regional procurement, which can provide food more cheaply and faster, while having significant benefits to the economies of developing countries by injecting funds into farming communities.

Moreover, on a micro level I think that individuals who are not social entrepreneurs or activists can lend a hand in the fight against hunger as well.  I came across a website called “Globalgiving”, which showcases different projects and community groups that are currently in developing nations helping those suffering from the global food crisis, a lack of education and survivors of natural disasters.  Project leaders post their causes and details about what they need on Globalgiving.com, giving us an inside look at the projects unique needs and work being done.  From there, we can help by donating to the charity project of our choice and then receive up-to-date news on where our donations went to.  As a result, with the social investment fund as my novel solution I also would want to encourage the help from individuals in developed nations to lend a hand in the fight against hunger.  Our donations will go to helping farmers learn the necessary tools for organic farming.  This way, we will fight the global food crisis on a global level.

I welcome any comments or questions on my posts!

References:

http://www.globalgiving.com/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/02/g20-economy

 

Novel Solution to Global Food Crisis: Let Them Eat Potatoes

Focusing on the “how” of social change rather than the “who“

- Wei-Skillern et al, 2006

With governments having trouble feeding the increasing number of hungry people in developing nations,  and food prices rising sharply, food scientists have proposed a novel solution for the global food crisis, which is harvesting more potatoes.

A news article in the New York Times presents how scientists, nutritionists and aid specialists are increasingly convinced that the potato should be playing a much larger role in ensuring a steady supply of food.  They say that poor countries could grow more potatoes to supplement or even replace grains that are most often shipped in from far away and are subject to severe market fluctuations.

Long before the spike in prices for staple foods, China has been demonstrating potato growing and eating as a way to ensure food security and build rural income.  Production in China rose 50 percent from 2005 to 2007 and the government has called potatoes “a way out of poverty”.  These potatoes harvested are a good source of protein, starch, zinc and iron.  As a crop, they require less energy and water to grow than wheat and they do not transport well on the world financial markets, making their price less vulnerable to market fluctuations.  As well as not generally being used to produce biofuels, potatoes are the perfect candidate in solving the global food crisis.

I think this novel solution brought to us from scientists and nutritionists is tackling the root cause of the global food crisis, which is the inaccessible food for those that earn less than a dollar a day in developing nations.  This novel solution is motivated by a social value proposition, whereby it focuses on how much social value it contributes to the whole of society by utilizing natural resources that we already possess.  Through this solution of harvesting potatoes, it will improve the lives of people in developing nations offering them access to food and agricultural tools to grow more potatoes. Thus, it has transformed farming and agriculture in nations such as China, Peru and India.

References:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/26/world/26spuds.html?ex=1382760000&en=9ffb0aff17b0ac3c&ei=5124

 

2009 Net Impact Conference: Business Solutions to Alleviate Food Insecurity and Malnutrition

Hi everyone,

I recently came across a review from nextbillion.net on the 2009 Net Impact Conference regarding the global food crisis. The main speaker was Mr. Shantu Shantharam from the Woodrow Wilson Institute. He begins the conference by explaining how the global food crisis has risen. He  states that the 10,000 year old agriculture industry only had one revolution, which was the green revolution in the 1960s. This revolution consisted of spreading agricultural technology to across countries maximizing crop yields in farmlands.  However, according to Mr. Shantharam, the green revolution skipped the continents of Africa and parts of Asia because governments did not have the capacity to observe and manage the agricultural technology.  As a result, the subsistence farming used in these areas could not keep up with the rapid population growth, resulting in a global food crisis now.

Moreover, the global food crisis persists now because of a number of factors, such as: political insecurity, a lack of investment vehicles,  unfair crop subsidies in the developed nations, limited food safety standards, poor access to market information and little awareness or education on the environmental impacts of agriculture.

After the introduction of the global food crisis, Mr. Shantharam asks, “So why has this crisis not been addressed?” , “Because there are too many crises with no time to plan.”

I agree with the statement that since there are other crises in the world, the global food crisis is often ignored by the government. I think the government tries to find a quick solution to feed a nation fighting against hunger.  They provide food aid to the people of developing nations, but these food aids only address the short term problem of the food crisis.

Therefore, Ms. Mara Russell, an institutional capacity building specialist of Land O’ Lakes International Development states that the government’s actions are disconnected between dealing with the global crisis and addressing the immediate concerns of feeding a nation.  She further states that governments resort to food aid to address the global food crisis, but it provides an unsustainable solution.  Instead, Ms. Russell believes that farmers association can break the cycle of dependency on food aid.  As a result, Ms. Russell founded an international development program that focuses on providing technical support for mostly dairy production in the agricultural development of parts of Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe.   This program assists farmers in bulking their inputs and outputs together, thereby leveraging their purchasing and selling volumes to decrease their production costs and maximize revenues.

References:

http://www.nextbillion.net/blog/net-impact-business-solutions-to-the-global-food-crisis

 

Novel Solution: Fighting Food Crisis with Organic Farming

Hi everyone,

 I would like to share a very interesting article in the Asia Times called “Turkey’s Born-Again Farmer“.  This piece focused on Nazmi llicali, a farmer in Eastern Turkey who has discovered organic farming to enhance the lives of thousands in his area.  He has made organic agriculture the rising star in the fight against poverty. I think that subsistence farming in these areas has not been able to keep up with the rapid population growth resulting in our current food crisis.  Therefore, this alternative farming has provided the skill sets for the area’s poorest farm to provide adequate nutrition for the residents of Eastern Turkey.  Below is a list of points that I found most interesting in the article:

Why Did Nazmi Choose Organic Agriculture?

He explains that the poverty in Eastern Turkey makes it perfect for starting organic farming projects.  He further states that,

 ” The earth in this area is especially suitable, because the local population is so poor that for years they have been unable to afford chemical fertilizers. The climate is good for organic agriculture, too. The frost and cold here even kill the eggs laid in the earth by insects, and because of that there is no need for pesticides – we have a totally chemical-free soil.”

Beginning Phases of Organic Agriculture Movement in Eastern Turkey

Nazmi joined the Daphan Plains Organic Agriculture Project and firstly brought 663 farmers together to learn the techniques and tools in organic farming.  Every year, Nazmi continues to seek out farmers and volunteers to assist in this life changing project.

How Did Nazmi get Funding for the Organic Agriculture Project?

The European Community gave Nazmi the financial support to set up the Eastern Anatolian Farmers and Livestock Keepers Union.  Now, there are 3,000 members in the union dedicated to organic farming and Nazmi is still gathering volunteers. A majority of the finances from the union are spent on new farming tools that will be owned communally and lent out for poor farmers to use for free.  Furthermore, Nazmi believes in the importance of education and has provided English lessons for farmers who want them.

Bringing Business Practices into the Organic Agriculture Project

 Nazmi explains that when they first started, the biggest problem was the packaging and processing of their organic food.  Therefore, they built a small factory with the union money and started producing their own products.  They grinded their own cereals into flour and packaged them.

Involvement of Istanbul Government

Nazmi and the Daphan Plains Project gained so much recognition, the Istanbul government entered into a five-year contract whereby Istanbul council will buy the project’s organic wheat for the public bakery.  The council will supply Istanbul residents with access to organiz bread and help those areas to market all their produce. 

 

 

 

 

Resources Page Added

Hi everyone,

I just added a Resources Page consisting of the websites in my blogroll and providing a brief description for easier viewing.

Enjoy!

 

Why We Need to Solve The Global Food Crisis

With the population growing at an alarmingly rate our demand for food increases along with us.  According to the Environmental Global Food Crisis Report in one of my earlier posts, it is estimated that our population will grow to over 9 billion by the year 2050. If we do not think of innovatie solutions for this food crisis now, the impact of reduced food availibility along with the high food prices will put even more people in poverty. Moreover, the people already undernourished will become even poorer affecting their lives and their children’s lives.  The food situation is already critical for those children under two years old and pregnant women in devloping nations.

Furthermore, the developed countries are focused on protecting itself from the current recession and developing new energy policies like investing in biofuels to reduce CO2 emissions in the air. However, according to the environmental food crisis report, while biofuels are a potential low carbon source energy, the conversion of rainforests, peatlands, savannas, and grasslands to produce these biofuels may create a “biofuel carbon debt”.  Moreover, the corn-based ethanol will nearly double greenhouse emissions over 30 years instead of producing a 20% savings.  our tax payers money in developed nations are paying millions of dollars to large grain companies to convert corn into ethanol, which is one of the causes why food prices are soaring, reducing the access to food in developing nations.

Image Retrieved from http://www.grida.no/publications/rr/food-crisis/

 

Why The Global Food Crisis Matters to me…

Every other weekend my family and I go grocery shopping at Superstore or Costco and bulk up for the next two weeks.  We used to spend around $100 on the basic groceries, such as milk, vegetables, fruits, eggs, and bread.  But recently, I have noticed since last year our grocery bill has more than doubled due to the high prices in wheat and corn.  Now my family’s average grocery bill ranges from $200-$250, and that’s only for the basic groceries, not including junk food or “healthy snacks” as my sister and I tell my parents every time we put a bag of “baked lays chips” in the shopping cart, insisting that its only the chips that are cooked in oil that are unhealthy~.

Moreover, I realized the high cost of groceries more predominantly last week when I stopped by Safeway to pick up a few groceries that we needed.  I only picked out about maybe 5 things in my shopping basket and the bill came out to be almost $50. I was astonished at how fast prices are soaring up these few years.

My gorcery trips made me realize that if I was complaining about my bill, think about the millions of people in developing nations where 50% of their income goes towards food.  I think about the fact that at least I can go to bed with a full stomach, whereas 963 million people go to bed with growling stomachs which haven’t been filled since the morning.  Therefore, the soaring prices of food and demand are forcing even more people to go hungry every night, especially children.  I feel that any child should not have to suffer and think if the next morning they will even get a chance to a small amount of food.

 

Global 3000: Fighting Famine – Young Global Leaders

I came across this youtube video  on the global food crisis and I wanted to share this with everyone.  Global 3000 is a German broadcasting company, which promotes different views on important issues going on in the world today with its aim in “fostering an exchange between cultures and people”.

I found this video considerably helpful in understanding what a global food crisis actually is and the main causes of this issue.  In this short video clip,Global 3000 has interviewed  2 young innovative thinkers who have committed themselves to working towards a brighter future for the world.  They are able to share their expert points of views on the global food crisis and create awareness of this pressing issue in the world.

One of the young leaders interviewed is Leslie Maasdorp, a financial expert for Barclays Capital in South Africa who states that the global food crisis “is not so much food scarcity, but the high prices of food and its increasing demand“.

 

Loving Campbell’s Chunky Soup – Football Against Hunger

I just read about an event hosted by European Professional Football Leagues who joined forces for an anti-hunger match on the weekend of March 20-22, 2009.  The article from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations site states that over 200 professional football clubs, 100 stadiums and millions of football fans involved themselves in the first ever Europe-wide football weekend against hunger. The purpose of this campaign was to create awareness and urgency to fight hunger and poverty in developing nations exacerbated by the current economic crisis.  As there are currently 963 million people suffering from hunger and malnutrition.   The funds raised at the football matches on the weekend will finance many anti-hunger micro-projects around the world.  The micro-projects consist of funds financing tangible resources such as fishing equipment and seeds and agricultural implements.  This campaign was launched on October 15, 2008 by the FAO and the European Professional Football Leagues in celebration of the World Food Day held in Rome.

I  found this campaign very charitable and compassionate. It must have gained a lot of recognition because the fan base for football or any other sports like hockey, soccer and basketball is  huge.  Therefore, since millions of people will be watching the football matches, they will also be made aware of the current food crisis in developing nations.  Knowing that purchasing a ticket to watch your favorite football team play while contributing to a good cause allows everyone to take part in the fight against hunger as a united nation.

References:

http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/10472/icode/