Is the Food Crisis Here to Stay?

In the first half of 2008, the price of basic grains like rice, wheat and corn went up 87%, on average, around the world. For the 800 million people living in poverty and chronic hunger – families that spend more than half their income on food – this increase has been devastating, translating into hunger, malnutrition, and starvation.

Three out of four of the world’s poor people live in the rural areas of developing countries. Many of them are small-scale farmers who are finding that, although the money they earn for their harvests hasn’t changed much, the cost of rice has doubled or tripled. They can only afford half the food they used to. They aren’t benefiting from climbing food prices. The world’s agri-business companies, on the other hand, are making record profits.

USC Canada’s Seeds of Survival (SoS) program has been working with farming communities in the South for decades, and we know this crisis isn’t a one-off thing. Our food system isn’t working, and it’s hurting the planet’s most vulnerable people. Although food aid is undoubtedly an important response to this emergency, SoS is focused on giving people back control over their lives in the long run. That’s why we campaign for food sovereignty, and help make it possible in villages around the world. Join the movement to help people grow their own food, strengthen resilience, and implement their own visions for eliminating poverty.

Hunger is a “silent tsunami” that’s destroying people’s dignity and basic human rights around the world. The poor are paying the heaviest price for this crisis. Help them reclaim their right to food!