Mar 28, 2007 4:18:04 PM cite

Imagine someone else doing your job for free. You're out of work & there's no benefit money.How do you survive? In agricultural societies too much cheap food would cause the economy to collapse. Result: 3rd world countries stay dependant on the west?

by invisible

Feb 12, 2007 11:10:53 PM cite

We don't because we are selfish. We have the means to but we don't because we are to caught up in our own rat race!

by KevinSean

Jan 27, 2007 5:09:25 PM cite

the reason is purely a political one which will always be denied by the politicians ,...if food was made available to to everyone,they would multiply faster and so use the resources that the west regards as so precious,and keeps for the "superior white races",100% true

by gazsel

Sep 18, 2006 9:17:39 PM cite

The countries that have so many problems with food supply should look at the choice of having a child that cannot be fed. Why have a child if a person can barely feed themselves. Citizens in these impoverished nations should spend more time in social revolution and economic reform. The governments that care should help the citizens trapped in the "I must have as many children as possible in order to have a few survive" and help them understand the limitations that they have placed on themselves. If a family unit only has a few children, then the child(ren) willhave better chances if its large scale change. Maybe use a condom!!! If you dont believe in it, then why do you ask for the help of those that do?

by burlyrdc

Sep 9, 2006 7:25:22 PM cite

I do not think that humankind was unable to produce enough food. We could if we wanted to. So what are blocking reasons? Let's look at what keeps me busy. I get up in the morning, go to work, do my thing and hope to receive a reward for my doing: financial (income) and otherwise (social rewards). I am not alone in the world; I am one piece in a bigger puzzle. So is everyone in the food chain. It starts with a farmer, a dealer who distributes food, a processor who does something with the food, a dealer again maybe and the end consumer in the finally. Since we have left stoneage we have introduced the above complexity in our human interactions. No the farmer does not trade an apple for 1 MB of data transmitted on the internet. We have introduced a couple of things: money for one as a place holder for physical goods exchange. A trust and rights system that enable everyone in the chain to trust that agreed contracts are honored, that money will be exchange back to goods when need be. For this work there needs to be freedom: freedom to use my own brain, to do my own thing and rules that tell me how far my level of freedom goes. Yes it is easy to blame those non-tangible bodies: the state, the rich, capitalism, multi-national companies, etc. for doing the wrong thing. But in my mind whatever happens in human interactions is done by human beings, in the end always by one individual. And we know every individual has their own internal world of values. How realistic would it be to convince millions and billions of people to change their internal values? We know it is totally unrealistic. It could be saddening and I could feel so terribly sorry that the world is so bad to me. Why not follow a different strategy and start changing my own behaviour? I have the option to buy products from fair trade. I have the option to buy from my local bakery or butcher. I have the option to buy a non-genetically modified apple. I have the option to elect a party that demonstrates believe in people and liberal thinking versus a party that openly says we go to war. Many more examples. To conclude: in my mind the question we started with is wrong. It should be something like "what barrriers in ourselves do we need to overcome to enable the world to feed themselves"

by Mr Process

Sep 9, 2006 2:39:14 PM cite

Giving people food does not make things better. It makes things worse. That is how we came to be (possibly). I've read ISHMAEL by Daniel Quinn and it seems as if an increase in food production leads to an increase in population. Part of the problem in world is that developed nations give food to developing nations and think it is a good thing. They feel good about themselves. But GIVING them food only makes them more reliant on you GIVING them food. I'll be back later.

by newhaventeacher

Sep 9, 2006 10:10:00 AM cite

Antoschka - Ekaterina Moshaeva: This depends on people and government, who have taken over and unfortunately are interested in the fact that there are poor people, because most of countries which are members of G8 – America, Europe – produce much more products per head than Africa for instance, where food gets distributed unequally. There is such a term as biological «footprint», which means, that people consume much more than they really need to and their biological print is much bigger than necessary. I think that all depends on people’s conscience, and unfortunately it didn’t reach yet that level, when they understand, that we all are human and we are dependent on each other. And human compassion, and human consciousness they have not reached a stage to understand, that if they hunger, if someone is hungering, this means their soul is hungering too. It is not a matter of Africa or India or other countries not producing enough products to nourish their population. The problem is that these products get withdrawn from there, they get distributed unequal.

by Antoschka - Ekaterina Moshaeva

Sep 9, 2006 10:10:00 AM cite

Abbas Beydoun: [missing part of the video].. the west and we can blame the rich people and the rich societies and countries for not providing help for the poor people. There are even poor and hungry people inside the rich countries. Hunger is a shame and immoral and I think that mankind can not be proud of itself and it will not have a good future if there are still hungry people.

by Abbas Beydoun

Sep 9, 2006 10:10:00 AM cite

Angaangaq Lyberth: Here we are again in terms of being able to feed the world. It is true, maybe, that we feed enough food to feed everyone but we don’t distribute the food that we produce. Everything is based on being able to sell it. And the governments do not allow to sell it if they don’t get the money. So all that extra productions goes to waste and do not arrive into the homes who need it most. And thus we have so many thousands and thousands of young people, children actually, who die of starvation every single day. Every single year. So what did we do? Nothing, really. We have excesses beyond belief in North America and Europe and other parts of the world whereas we have tremendous needs everywhere else. So where is the equality of those food we produce? Yes, the Earth has enough food but the man needs to be able to distribute it equally to everyone. And if he doesn’t do it, yes, we see the results. Right now in Darfur, in Sudan, look at the starvation, and many other parts of Africa. And look at the excesses I have witnessed here in Germany in the last few days. Food unlimited to be eaten by those who stay in hotels. Far beyond the capacity of the stomach or the need of the body. Still today thousands of people will starve to death. Isn't it sad, Amy? For me it is so.

by Angaangaq Lyberth