World Hunger and Politics Per Pinstrup-Andersen Prepared for: BioNB321 The State of the Planet Cornell University February 6, 2008

Why do you think poverty and hunger are widespread in developing countries? A. Because poor people are lazy B. Because they have too many children C. Because their governments do not care enough D. Because rich countries exploit poor countries E. None of the above

Hunger and the Planet  What does hunger have to do with the planet?  A hungry planet is not a sustainable planet  Hungry people are poor  They depend on natural resources  They cause environmental degradation  Their livelihood is threatened  Poverty eradication and sustainable management of the planet must go hand-in-hand

How many preschool children die of diseases related to hunger and poor nutrition during a 75-minute class period? A. 6 B. 75 C. 400 D. 750 E. Don’t know

 In the next 75 minutes 1400 children will die  750 due to hunger and malnutrition  That is 5-6 million per year  It is preventable!  Every fourth child in developing countries is malnourished  Almost 3 times the U.S. population is hungry

The Triple Burden of Hunger and Malnutrition: 1.Energy and protein deficiencies: Hunger 2.Specific nutrient deficiencies: Hidden Hunger 3.Excessive net energy intake: Overweight & Obesity

The World Food Summit Goal To reduce by half the number of people suffering from hunger

Global Progress Towards Meeting the WFS Goal 382 Million 412

Which continent has the largest number of people suffering from hunger? A. Africa B. Asia C. Latin America D. Don’t know

Where Are the Hungry? Source: FAO 2004 NENA 39 Million

Where Are the Underweight Children? Source: UNICEF 2006 Total 146 Million

Where Are the Low-Birth Weight Babies Born? Source: UNICEF 2006 Total 20.3 Million

Rural and Urban Hunger in Developing Countries Rural 70.0% Urban 30.0 %

1. Access to assets  Education, health, nutrition  Land  Water  Knowledge  Credit and savings  Employment 2. Access to technology 3. Access to markets 4. Appropriate institutions The Rural Poor Need:

Poor families spend up to 50-70% of income on food

Why is agriculture important?  Most hungry people are in rural areas  The food comes from there  Farmers are stewards of natural resources

Policy Priorities  Investment in public goods for agriculture  Science and technology  Markets  Infrastructure and institutions  Investment in human resources  Health care  Education  Removal of trade distorting subsidies  Integrated natural resource management

Rhetoric Declarations Plans Targets Action

Freedom from Hunger as a Human Right  The UN Declaration  A right or a privilege?  No enforcement, no penalty

Other Rights: Enforcement  Property rights  Animal rights  International trade  Legally enforceable rules  International institutions  WTO vs. UNICEF, ILO, and FAO

Action vs. Failure to Take Action  Killing vs. letting die  Genocide?  Crime against humanity?

Why We Should Care  Ethics  Economics  Stability  Environment  Future of our planet

In the global village, someone else’s poverty very soon becomes one’s own problem: of lack of markets for one’s products, illegal immigration, pollution, contagious disease, insecurity, fanaticism, terrorism. UN 2001

“Today’s real borders are not between nations, but between the powerful and the powerless” Kofi Annan

Why do you think poverty and hunger are widespread in developing countries? A. Because poor people are lazy B. Because they have too many children C. Because their governments do not care enough D. Because rich countries exploit poor countries E. None of the above