Hunger is a political problem

A world without hunger, where all seven billion people are well fed, can indeed be achieved. The planet produces enough food. Hunger is not a problem simply caused by natural crises. It is tolerated because other things are deemed more important. The voices of European consumers and farmers, for example, carry more political weight. If we took all our fine words about solidarity seriously, then subsidies would have to be abolished, trade relationships revolutionized and the price of food in the industrial states would rise.

The voices of the hungry carry little weight - they have no lobby. Perversely, people go hungry - of all places - where food is produced, among small farmers in rural regions. These people have nobody to represent their interests in multilateral economic institutions. When free trade treaties and global trade flows are negotiated, they have no voice, despite the fact that there are very many of them: Just under half of all people worldwide live either directly or indirectly from agriculture. The large, unheard majority in the developing world pays the price for our economic system: One billion people are hungry or undernourished.

European politicians always behave as if they were helpless and ask how they should convince voters to restructure taxes to the benefit of the world's poorest people. That wouldn't be so difficult. Elected officials simply need to convince their constituencies that fighting hunger is in the interest of their own well being. How will Europe cope with 150 million potential refugees fleeing hunger in sub-Saharan Africa for our continent by the year 2020?

For more: Hunger is a political problem | Environment & Development | Deutsche Welle | 31.10.2011