"Give today our daily bread"
"Poverty, underdevelopment and the resulting hunger are often the outcome of selfish attitudes which, arising from man's heart, find expression in his social activities, in economic relations and in the conditions of the market, ... and are translated into the denial of the primary right of all individuals to nourishment and freedom from hunger. How can we remain silent before the fact that food has become the object of speculation and is tied to the movements of financial markets which, lacking clear rules and moral principles seem fixated on the single objective of profit? Nourishment is a factor which touches on the fundamental right to life."
The quote is taken from Pope Benedict's address to the participants in thirty-seventh Conference of the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) when he met them on July 1st.
The Pope's speech tackled the horrible human tragedy of hunger which during 2010 affected 925 million people. (I am using statistics and a number of ideas provided by Hunger Notes http://www.worldhunger.org/articles/Learn/world%20hunger%20facts%202002.htm.)
Asia and the Pacific region are the worst hit, so much so that 578 million suffered hunger last year. The next area of disaster is Sub Saharan Africa with the infamous statistic of 239 million. These figure explain the massive exodus of so many people some of whom end up on our shores. Latin America and the Caribbean claim 53 million while there are 37 people suffering from hunger in the Near East and North Africa. Hunger is not limited to underdeveloped countries. There are 19 million hungry people in developed countries.
On the one hand such statistics can point to us the gravity of the problem: one in every seven people suffer from hunger! However, on the other hand, statistics do tend to depersonalise the problem.
Hunger is not about numbers but it is about people. Real people made up of muscle tissue, bones and blood like you and me. Hunger is about real people who have real children, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters. When we discuss hunger we have to look people in the eyes, not numbers.
This is why the Pope referred to the situation as one which makes people suffer, especially "the situation of millions of children, who are the first victims of this tragedy, condemned to early death or to a delay in their physical and mental development. ..." Children who are poorly nourished suffer up to 160 days of illness each year. Every year five million children die of malnutrition. Every hour 573 children die of hunger! This statistic just skims the surface. Hunger, in turn causes other diseases or debilitates children so much that they become prone to other diseases and die because of them. Diarrhoea, malaria, pneumonia and measles are among the additional killers.
The most shocking scandal is that all this suffering is preventable. HUNGER IS AVOIDABLE. It is not true that there are hungry people because the world cannot produce enough food to feed its inhabitants.
Hunger Notes makes this point strongly and clearly.
"The world produces enough food to feed everyone. World agriculture produces 17 per cent more calories per person today than it did 30 years ago, despite a 70 per cent population increase. This is enough to provide everyone in the world with at least 2,720 kilocalories (kcal) per person per day (FAO 2002, p.9). The principal problem is that many people in the world do not have sufficient land to grow, or income to purchase, enough food. "
If you read again the introductory paragraph of this piece you will notice that the Pope refers to some of the structural causes of hunger:
selfish attitudes which are then structured in social activities, in economic relations and in the conditions of the market, food has become the object of speculation and is tied to the movements of financial markets fixated on the single objective of profit
In other parts of his speech he addresses other structural causes of world hunger:
The international situation and recurrent concerns caused by instability and price increases;The structures of FAO hinder the organisation from achieving the goal to guarantee nutritional development, the availability of food products and the development of rural areas, so as to ensure that humankind is free from hunger; the abandonment of rural areas and agricultural work;The lack of support given to family-run farms, supporting the vital role they play in ensuring stable food security.
Hunger Notes adds other reasons: poverty, harmful economic systems, conflict and climate change.
The solution for this tragedy in not massive family planning programmes (although there is a place for programmes advocating responsible parenthood) or forced abortions. The solution lies in more just economic, social and political structures.
One can say that we can do very little about these structural causes of hunger. The answer is both yes and no. However, we can do our bit (small bit but valid just the same) to prevent climate change, avoid waste, control consumption, save up on energy and give our modest financial contribution to help initiatives which work towards a more just and fairer world.
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Joseph Camilleri
Jul 7th 2011, 08:38
(Another J.C.) The problem of hunger will not be resolved without a massive transfer of capital from the richer to the poorer countries. Forty years ago the U.N. set the figure of 0.7% of the GNI as the target for aid to developing countries. It seems an almost insignificant amount and yet the global average aid level has always hovered between 2% and 4%. According to statistics for 2010, only 5 of the UN member states reached the 0.7% target. In 2009 the EU-27 average was 0.4 %. Malta has donated less than that. While the Maltese were debating divorce, a report by Ivan Camilleri from Brussels (ToM 7th April 2011) went unnoticed. According to this report, “Malta’s overseas development aid last year dipped to 0.11 per cent of Gross National Income, the lowest level since these figures started being published by the EU in 2004.” If we wish to do something about hunger in the world, the Maltese government should start increasing steadily the level of aid to reach the UN target. Some may argue that the present economic situation does not permit that. But people barely surviving on less than $1 a day simply cannot wait for better times.
Mary Mills
Jul 7th 2011, 12:55
The so-called developed world has been growing food for fuel and the higher oil prices go, as we're seeing now, the more sought-after commodities such as corn, wheat, oily seeds - rape, soya, sunflower will become on world markets. The 'colossal squandering of cereals destined for fuel production' (Fidel Castro) using up vast swathes of farmland to produce ethanol to run cars, machinery has been going on for decades in the US. With subsidies and more subsidies to growers. More food not less will be grown to extract ethanol to mix with fossil fuels - the renewable component certainly at the cost of letting the hungry starve.
The EU's farm subsidies for crops such as sugar beet, rapeseed, sunflower seeds to produce ethanol (to mix with diesel) continue to increase, the aim being that 10% of motor fuel will consist of biodiesel by 2020. Of course the EU also imports such stuff as soya bean, sugar cane - and already there are 120 plants in the EU processing ethanol.
We are seeing the price of flour, cereals,bean pulses (a poor man's diet really) go up, indeed well might one pray to be given 'this day our daily bread' especially on a day when one is feeling 'virtuous' driving one of them biodiesel cars, out for a spin.The individual may reckon, pretend that issue of the environment and specifically CO2 emissions / climate change is too large and remote to be any of his business.
There's an irony too in the fact that big oil producing companies such as BP and strong lobbying groups (farmers in North America, Europe,especially to whom politician are beholden for being re-elected) are themselves promoting these renewable fuels - from crops of high calorific value such that the starving, undernourished people could do with. One example: sugar cane growers in Queensland, Australia with BP ready to invest.
To starve or not to starve? It's politics! (Taking the cue from a parallel remark someone once made,'It's the economy, stupid!').
Now about aid: take the EU: it's been estimated that less than half of overseas aid goes to the poorest. Most of it, incidentally goes to countries that were former colonies of France, Belgium.... And, of couse, it's that bureaucratic juggernaut known as the Commission which manages the EU's budget for overseas aid. High administrative cost of around 5% of money allotted not least because it often is 'recycled' i.e. passed on to the UN or World Bank or indeed to the EU's 118 overseas 'offices'. Apart from admin. costs, there's been waste (e.g. promotional stuff, with money remaining in Brussels) and occasionally even fraud.
All begging the question: what is to be done about 'our daily bread';myself, I once heard a scholar interpret the sense of these words from the ancient Greek version of the original; the ancient Greek mentions 'the best bread', that of the metaphysical type, i.e. nourishment of the soul...fortifying our sense of right and wrong.
The problem is that politicians, big government, big bureaucratic monolitic outfits (EU) are, in part, there to be there, namely self-promoting and for that need not the gratitude of the poor but alliances with the powerful.
Mr Richard Curmi
Jul 9th 2011, 11:10
"The problem is that politicians, big government, big bureaucratic monolitic outfits (EU) are, in part, there to be there, namely self-promoting and for that need not the gratitude of the poor but alliances with the powerful.' So true Mary. Most of the world is in the wrong hands.
Enjoyed read your quite insightful comment and learned a lot.
Mr Richard Curmi
Jul 6th 2011, 11:34
I had the opportunity to visit the FAO headquarters in Rome and Oxfam administrative buildings in the UK and other such buildings of other charities in othe countries including of course Australia. I cannot stand all the talkfests in those luxurious halls with sumptious dinners/lunches etc being served when these so called leaders talk about people starving in underdeveloped countries suffering famine because of the inequitable distribution of wealth. Long time ago I stopped contributing to these big charities who use a high percentage of contributions in administration. I donate straight to those in need or where I know that the bulk of my contribution will go where it is intended to go.
Since you quoted from the Pope's speech I objectively believe that the church is doing a lot for these people through the work of its missionaries. I would be one of the first people to protests if the church tries to sell, as some would suggest, any of the treasures at the Vatican which indeed they belong to the world heritage. Having said that there is always more that the church can do by supporting more those missionaries with money saved from cutting down on money spent on unnecessary pomp, new buildings for worship where they are not needed and overall re-examining and putting in order its priorities.
On the other hand civil authorities in developed countries should understand once and for all that supplies of food, clothes, medicines and such are good for the short term but do nothin to make Poverty History as their slogan has been saying for years.
People in those poor countries need land to till, tools to work with and the know how they never had the chance to have. I don't understand how the market works but I can see that the way it is structured, it benefits the few and does nothing for these poor people or even make their situation worse.
Leaders of rich countries should forget their periodical, international talkfests and start action-fest by doing more practically to help those people to reclaim their land and acquire the necessary knowhow and will to start supporting themselves and enjoy in a dignified manner the fruit of their toil.
Kenneth Cassar
Jul 6th 2011, 09:06
Please define "responsible parenthood" in the context of world poverty.
Mr Mario P. Sciberras
Jul 5th 2011, 23:29
words, words, words.
An important lever for sustained action in tackling poverty and reducing hunger is money.
Gro Harlem Brundtland
Joseph Camilleri
Jul 5th 2011, 22:52
The Pope himself can do something about the hunger in Africa - which is, stopping the Catholic Church from hindering contraception use. It's hypocritical for the Pope to continue with this charade at the same time lamenting the sad situation in Africa and in other poor countries.
Andy Farrugia
Jul 5th 2011, 21:09
Just been reading "How heirloom seeds can feed the world" by Charles Siebert in the July edition of National geographic and the situation looks rather bleak. Basically, to feed the world's growing population (by 2045 it is estimated to grow to nine billion from the current seven billion) some experts believe that we will need to DOUBLE our food production. However, crop yields aren't increasing fast enough, and climate change and new diseases threaten the limited varieties we have come to depend on (about 90% of most fruit and vegetable varieties have disappeared over the last hundred years).