Food Insecurity: An Issue Screaming for Our Attention

I often find myself ruminating about what I’m going to eat for dinner- salad, pasta, or  pizza? Hmm….and what to indulge in for dessert, ice cream or cookies? The plethora of options consumes me.

For some, it is not a matter of what they will eat, but if they will at all. One in eight people globally suffer from chronic hunger globally. Food is a staple that most of us take for granted. I am fortunate enough that my worries consist of my overwhelming work load, not where I will get my next meal. For me, food is a guarantee, but it is not for millions around the globe.

Food security exists when everyone, everywhere, has physical or economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. It is noteworthy that we already produce enough food to feed the world. The problem is that 1) one-third of is wasted and 2) that it’s not going to the right people.

Climate change plays a huge role in food security. More frequent and severe weather events, too much or too little rain, and rising temperatures are just a handful of the devastating impacts global warming has on agriculture. Also, to makes matters worse, population is predicted to hit a whopping 11 billion by the end of the century.

With more mouths to feed and a limited amount of resources, we are in a pickle. What can be done?

The U.S. government can increase funding to foreign aid that promotes these two issues in particular:

·         Climate-smart agriculture

o   Climate-smart agriculture sustainably boosts agricultural yields, builds farmers’ resilience to climate change, and delivers environmental benefits. Types of climate-smart agriculture include crop rotation, agroforestry (growing trees on farms), and mulching. Feed the Future, an initiative by the U.S. government, is an example of a program that encourages such techniques.

·         And women empowerment

o   Women and girls are among the most vulnerable to food insecurity because they do most of the farming and manage the food supplies, yet lack access to services and control over resources and decisions affecting food security. For instance, Care is an organization dedicated to making women more resilient to climate change and food security, which results to overall benefits to families.   

What can you do?

·          Urge your Congressional representatives to increase financial aid to help combat food insecurity.

·         Vote and give your support to policies that protect the environment.

         Donate to organizations committed to food aid, like Oxfam America.  

·         Stay educated and aware of the growing challenge of food insecurity globally.

With a warming planet and growing population, food security is becoming a more pressing issue every day. It is our obligation to provide aid to those who need it as well as be kind to our environment for the sake of future generations. You have the ability to make a difference and the time to act is now- put down your slice of pizza and get movin’.