'Not Whether We Can End Hunger, It's Whether We Will'; Aid Group Endorses Admin. Plan

[babylonsister]

'Not Whether We Can End Hunger, It's Whether We Will'; Aid Group Endorses Admin. Plan


The Obama administration's new plan to combat world hunger is drawing strong support from one of the oldest and most established humanitarian organizations.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the plan Friday at her husband's Clinton Global Initiative event. The plan, to improve globally what experts refer to as "food security," rests on five principles, according to the secretary of state.

"If we can build partnerships with countries to help small farmers improve their agricultural output and make it easier to buy and sell their products at local or regional markets, we can set off a domino effect," she says. "We can increase the world’s food supply for both the short and the long term; diminish hunger; raise farmers’ incomes; improve health; expand opportunity; and strengthen regional economies.

"Now, our initiative is, admittedly, ambitious, because we intend to address the root causes of hunger by investing in technologies and infrastructure that will make farming more productive and profitable in developing countries, while making it easier for food to reach the people who need it," Clinton adds. "It will enhance nutrition, so children are healthy enough to learn and adults are strong enough to work. And we’ll maintain our deep commitment to emergency food assistance, to answer the urgent cry for help when tragedies and disasters take their toll—as is happening now in the Horn of Africa, where drought, crop failures, and civil war have caused the worst humanitarian crisis in 18 years."

A leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty founded in 1945, CARE says in a statement that the plan outlined by Clinton is closely aligned with CARE's own.

CARE also urges Congress to adopt two bills that it says would help bring the new Obama administration plan to fruition.

"We stand ready to work with the Obama administration and other partners on this critically important effort," says Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE. "We urge the U.S. to continue to take a leadership role in this global effort. In the near term we encourage Congress to take two actions: pass the Global Food Security Act and pass the 2010 State and Foreign Operations bill, which includes over $1 billion in international agriculture development which is essential to this effort."

more...

http://onthehillblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/not-whether-we-can-end-hunger-its.html

[Clio the Leo]

1. Excellent! NT

[Voice for Peace]

2. a beautiful little model: Food for People

" The first facility was developed in consultation with village elders in the tribal area of Jharkhand, India. Each month year-round, 45,000 free hot meals are prepared and served to children and adults at a 10,000 square-foot custom-built facility.

The facility employs 50 villagers, who grow some of the food on a 6-acre parcel of land. Food for People volunteers have trained these workers to operate the facility to high nutritional and hygienic standards."

http://www.tprf.org/press-room/v4_i116