It is time to address world hunger!

The future of food is not looking positive, and is only going to get worse as the world’s population is increasing. According to a World Bank report, over one billion people go hungry every day; however the figure varies from place to place. What is the world doing about it? Not much… Sure, the problem is escalating and has become widespread, but at the same time, rich countries are not giving the priorities that it deserves. World hunger was not at the top agenda of the recent United Nations, G-20, G-8 meetings that were held in New York, London and Italy. Although, all member countries of the UN have recognised the extent of the problem on an international arena, but recognising the issue is not enough nor will it solve anything.

Since the 1990’s, a lot of issues have been discussed at various international forums but the truth is that not much has been done. Population issues were discussed in Cairo, environmental issues were discussed in Rio, food in Rome, women in Beijing and climate issues were discussed in Kyoto. What happened after all these forums? Population is increasing day by day, the environment issue has reached a no-return point, the world is now facing a food crisis, women are still facing discrimination on a daily basis and our climate has been completely changed! Fifteen years of talks, yet little has been achieved and while all this is happening, the super powers are keeping the money and power to themselves without addressing world issues.

The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that an injection of 30 billion euros a year into family farming across the world could hold hunger in check, and even reverse it. Yet, rich countries are spending billions of euros on combating terrorism, which has been created by them, and seem to have no money to spend on the wellbeing of people around the world. It is about time that the World Food Organisation, the UN and other like-minded bodies address the issue of world hunger before it escalates even further.

- The reader is a development consultant based in Karachi, Pakistan.