world food day

According the World Food Programme, there are 1.02 billion undernourished people in the world today. Hunger and malnutrition cause more health problems than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. Conflicts, natural disasters, poverty, environmental devastation, and poor agricultural practices combine to create food insecurity, which is an increasing cause of violence and disputes. For example, in April 2008, violent riots in Haiti were sparked by a lack of food.

Hunger has increased as a result of the worldwide recession, and the international political economy that favors high-cost input farming practices has decreased the viability of agriculture and food production in many developing countries. But many people are hungry all over the world, from the US to the Dominican Republic, from Asia to Africa, from toddlers to the elderly. 

Today is World Food Day, and this weekend marks the beginning of a week-long fast that my roommate and I are undertaking. It’s something she’s done in the past as a means of detoxifying and renewing her system, and it consists of ingesting only water, natural juices, and tea for the duration of the fast. Aside from the health benefits of fasting, we are giving ourselves more motivation by pledging to donate all the money we would have spent on food next week to an (as yet unknown) non-governmental organization that works with hunger and poverty issues.

Here's more information from the World Food Programme: 10 things you can do on World Food Day. In addition, we are challenging our friends and family to match our pledge, either in full or in smaller sponsorships of one meal's worth of money or one day's worth.


I *love* food, so this will be a challenge for me. Wish me luck!