Maureen in Massachusetts writes:

Conversations with America/ End Hunger through Development:
Tjada Mckenna US Feed the Future- David Beckmann Bread for The World

Did our legislators view this conversation?
Cutbacks now on US food program budgets allocated for poor nations will weaken the US global leadership role that President Obama and Secretary Clinton have successfully strengthened. Not being the right thing to do - it may not be the “smartpower” thing to do either.

But we can't feed people in our country so why help others? Why not target 1/3 of the budget that goes to food programs around the world? It won't hurt us because (they) are somewhere else. That somewhere else is here as we are increasingly interdependent. Fluctuation in grain prices translates to certain starvation in these regions. Education and the means to acquire skills necessary to preventative action against drought is essential. Small holder farmers where the labor force is made up of 70% women continue to be undernourished. Farmers are undernourished- starving farmers...

It doesn't have to be this way but the financial commitment must be sustained on our part because USAID/Feed the Future initiatives are starting to pay off. Refrigeration techniques, transport and storage or “post market handling”-(Tjada Mckenna) make a huge difference in getting the best market price for farmers. From icow apps. to the green revolution we are in the game and we need to stay for our own good. The private sector is also in. They have understood that investment in nutrition and low income countries grows economy. Ask Bill Gates because he's in too.

Think of this now in terms of security to our nation. Food insecurity truly impacts the stability of impoverished nations which leads to voids being filled by terror, piracy and corruption. Look to Somalia that was financially ignored since 1991,“chaos”(David Beckmann). It didn't have to be that way. Now, challenges of 21st century diplomacy involve security intervention. Having life saving supplies doesn't guarantee access to starving people. Using famine as terror is a painful lesson to those involved and it must be understood. Our food program budgets save lives, create stable environments and help prevent the void where anything goes.

Not convinced. Take the time to review the data. It has been analyzed. The U.S. Food program budget impacts the resilience of populations in poor nations fixing malnutrition from birth, improving local economies by seemingly simple measures of transport, storage and refrigeration and agriculture infrastructure, health safeguards and sanitation. Bread for the World is part of that network organizing to save food budgets. A goal to aspire to is “working yourself out of a job”- Tjada McKenna and David Beckmann agree. For them to succeed our legislators need to be on board.

Cutting budgets to State Department food programs in poor nations is akin to cutting a whole in the heart of humanity. I share the vision of “what we ought to be” because that is something that endures.

Posted on Wed Oct 26, 2011

Christine in the U.S.A writes:

I would like to receive the text report of the conversation on "Ending Hunger Through Development" with Tjada Mckenna, that was held on October 25, 2011 at 3:00 p.m.

Thanks.

Chrisitne.

DipNote Bloggers reply:

@ Christine -- Thanks for your comment! We'll post a transcript as soon as it is available.

Posted on Wed Oct 26, 2011

Rene P. in Puerto Rico writes:

GMO seed are the biggest threat I've heard of lately: seed that fails to reproduce after one season. Smallholder farmers that cannot warehouse natural seed are enslaved by subscription to the GMO seed, and if they can't get it anymore, famine WILL happen.

Posted on Tue Oct 25, 2011

Rene P. in Puerto Rico writes:

"Hunger" "Death" "Disease" "War" "HIV/AIDS" certain terms simply attract donor dollars without requiring true understanding of the underlying issue: Foreign intervention dating back to colonialism and the slave trade, and lack of understanding of the natural economic environmental stability that can exist between the farming, herding, or sedentary and nomadic ethnicities. Europe's artificial borders and non-traditional (yet internationally recognized) governing bodies have wreaked havoc with traditional economies.

Posted on Tue Oct 25, 2011

Dinesco in Romania writes:

Agriculture should be rendered back to thew farmers. Only the corporations engaged in this should be favored by governments.

Natural agriculture keeps the people active and healthy.

Machines shouldn't replace humans in agriculture but help and engage more people in it.

There wouldn't be hunger on Earth if this understood.

Posted on Tue Oct 25, 2011

Rene in Puerto Rico writes:

"Hunger" is a misguided word to address the problem. Smallholder farmers need to get organized. I worked with them buying grain, but the available infrastructure for commerce in the country (Burkina Faso) and international shipping standards were a huge hurdle. Sending food to Africa is irrational, it just drives agriculture to bankruptcy and makes the problem worse. Creating dependency is the biggest threat to resolving the issue of "hunger". Again, it is NOT an issue of HUNGER, but an issue of lack of organization in a continent that exports a LOT of food, just check with France.

Posted on Tue Oct 25, 2011