From idealism to urgency - food summits through the years
Thursday, June 5, 2008 | 02:45 PM ET
by Tara Kimura, CBCnews.ca
In November 1974, at the first World Food Conference in Rome, U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger made the idealistic pledge to end world hunger within 10 years as a famine crisis worsened in India and Bangladesh.
Kissinger famously vowed that "within a decade no child will go to bed hungry, that no family will fear for its next day's bread, and that no human being's future and capacities will be stunted by malnutrition."
Resolutions at the 11-day conference included creating an agricultural development fund, farming programs and a nutrition-aid program to boost the health of malnourished children.
But despite Kissinger's optimism, critics said the conference was too modest in its aims and accomplishments. Agronomist Norman Borlaug, for example, told the Associated Press of the summit, "It was nonsense and you can quote me. Nothing tangible was done. It was just talk."
At the food conferences that followed, targets were narrowed. In 1996, delegates at the world food summit pledged by 2015 to halve the number of the world's 840 million hungry by half.
And on Thursday, the 2008 UN World Food Summit in Rome reaffirmed this commitment, though by now the number of the world's hungry has grown to 850 million. Delegates also called for farm aid in developing countries and a relaxation of strict trade barriers. The summit also called for more studies of biofuels and how they affect food availability.
CBC correspondent Adrienne Arsenault at the summit noted Thursday, "the problem is that's the same promise that was made in 1996, right here at another food summit and another collection of world leaders. And between 1996 and now we know that the number of the world's hungry has only increased, so they have a huge task ahead of them."
Here is a look at the changing targets and goals of the UN food conferences, from the idealistic 1974 meeting to the urgency of the 2008 summit.
November 1974 — World Food Conference, Rome
- 130 — number of nations represented at conference.
- 10 M — tonnes of grain donor countries were encouraged to make available every year as a food aid provision.
- 10 — number of years projected by U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to end world hunger.
December 1992, International Conference on Nutrition, Rome
- 159 — number of countries represented at conference.
- 800 M — number of people identified as not having access to enough food to meet daily needs.
- 40 — per cent of the world's population found to have micronutrient deficiencies.
November 1996, World Food Summit, Rome
- 185 — number of countries represented at summit.
- 2015 — target year delegates set as deadline by which to halve world's 840 million undernourished.
- 75 — per cent increase needed in food production over 30 years to ensure sufficient food supply for world's population by 2025.
June 2002, World Food Summit, Rome
- 185 — countries in attendance.
- 22 M — number of undernourished people who must be helped annually in order to meet targets set in 1996 to halve the world's 840 million hungry.
June 2006, World Food Summit, Rome
- 183 — countries in attendance.
- $15 billion - $20 billion — amount needed each year to increase food production to ease food crisis.
- 850 M — number of undernourished people in the world.
- 2015 — target year by which to reduce the number of the world's 850 M hungry by half.
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Amber Hildebrandt writes for CBCNews.ca in Toronto. Growing up on a farm in Manitoba, she acquired an insatiable appetite, but it was during a stint in Japan that she developed her discerning tastebuds and "foodie" ways.
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Elizabeth Bridge is a writer with the CBC Digital Archives in Toronto. She first ventured into the kitchen as a child to indulge a sweet tooth by baking cookies and making fudge. A student budget compelled her to be a vegetarian (for a while) and instilled in her an ongoing curiosity about food and cooking.
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Comments
ernie
ontario
As a farmer I find these stories about increasing food production interesting. In Canada it seems that the government is doing the exact opposite and encouraging farmers to stop producing. Farmers have had to compete against foreign subsidies with little government support. In the nineties the government was in a deficit and said they could not compete against foreign treasuries. As surpluses arrived the tune changed and the message was we are going to fix the problems at the world trade talks. Just wait!!!
The one program designed to help solve the farmers income problem is called CAISE -Canadian income support program. The former Ontario deputy agriculture minister is on record saying that this program was designed to remove farmers. If one looks at the current programs they seem to revolve around retraining for other careers. One program I participated in was a business analysis to see areas to improve farm income. I was showing a profit but the consultant spent the whole time trying to talk me into selling and getting a job off farm. I pointed out I was making more on farm than I could off farm. His reply was that I would have no stress if I sold out. This bothered me and thinking about it I suspect this was policy from Agriculture Canada to remove farmers from the land. One good program that the government announced with lots of publicity was the OPTIONs program. This was designed to get money to farmers in need.It was to run two years, but part way through the program they changed the rules and reduced the payments by half. At the same time the U.S. has introduced a new farm bill that will probably be the richest subsidy program ever.
I'm watching friends in their fifties quiting and their reasons are they are not making any money and are worried about living in poverty in retirement. I'm also seeing friends going bankrupt. The last Statistics Canada report indicates that Ontario farmers lost 100 million last year.
The point I'm making is that a huge investment is needed in food production here in Canada. We are as productive and efficient as anyone in the world. The fact is that farmers can't fight foriegn subsidies on their own.
Relying on food produced in other countries to feed Canadians is naive in the extreme. When those countries are struggling to feed themselves, or when they get a better offer from another country, we will not be able to bring in enough food to feed ourselves. Canadian farmers can produce enough to feed this country, which gives us some security in a very troubled and unsettled world. Think about the current oil crisis - how much more are you paying to fill your vehicle every week. Now think what would happen if this happened to food prices, particularly if your food is being imported. You might be able to get by without your car. You cannot get by without food.
These are issues that we Canadians need to address. This country has no food security policy, we need to fix problems at home before we address world problems. So far I have not seen this issue addressed.
Posted June 7, 2008 06:14 AM
Michele
Canada
Another Kissinger quote:
"Control oil and you control nations; control food and you control people."
Posted June 11, 2008 06:51 AM