Matthew Bartlett: If you think food prices are high here, try Africa
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:13 am | posted by Virginia SimmonsOur own Matthew Bartlett placed an op-ed in the NH Union Leader, the most-read NH paper.
A bit from his piece:
At the same time, new and innovative approaches are being developed on the ground in Africa to fight hunger and malnutrition. In Mozambique, I met with agricultural scientists and experts who are working on new ways to fortify crops to produce stronger and healthier vegetables rich in vitamin A and zinc. Support for these efforts will be crucial in developing long-term, lasting solutions.
The growing global food crisis is a complicated and challenging emergency that puts millions of lives at risk. The small ripple of rising food costs we feel here in New Hampshire disproportionately turns into a riptide in the poorest countries on Earth. But there are concrete ways to help find solutions and results that will undoubtedly depend on sound and just U.S. policies and leadership.
In a land of plenty and in a world in need, we have the resources to help greatly minimize and mitigate the global food crisis. From the campaign trail to halls of Congress, and from the White House to the G8 summit in Japan, the world must focus more attention to enacting better global food policy for all.
You can read the full piece here.
June 23rd, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Matthew, that op-ed is fantastic!
i found myself quite engaged in it from your passion and experience, that even had i not been on the same side of the argument as you, i would have been hard-pressed to refute anything you said. your time on the ground in african countries adds great conviction and credibility to the reality of hungry children and often hungrier parents.
i’ve heard and been concerned about scientifically modified seeds and glad you mentioned them concerning crops in Mozambique. primary benefit is quicker crops to feed hungry people. unrefutable. but had there been any mention of short-term effects of interaction with drugs or the long-term effects of what we in the west now experience of diabetes, heart disease, adverse ramifications of straying from the organic route? yes, i know it may be a mute point when kids are dying of empty stomachs. i just hope that, like the developed nations are today, we are helping these countries find valuable options to internal synthetics. maybe fortifying doesn’t necessarily need it has to be in a non-organic way there? would you be willing to shed any light from your experience and perspective on this please?
thanx so much for your great leadership in your region and your inspiration to us all.
stay close,
sammi =)
(ps: ginny, the format here lately, with the blue boxes! nice, very nice. kudos to the programmer gang =D )
June 23rd, 2008 at 6:40 pm
I appreciate this essay of Matt’s for its effort in trying to get people in the “developed” world out of thinking that all the current crises in the world only affects them.
In the poorer countries of our world - those countries that can least afford it - the current prices for food and oil are exponentially crushing whatever cash reserves that people in these countries had.
One of the main reasons is the increased cost of imports & exports into and out of these countries which then raises the prices of these items inside their own countries.
I have heard this concern from several of my friends with relatives in Africa….and the situation is not getting any better there.
Any effort like Matt’s to get people in the USA to try to see life from another’s perspective, especially from someone who is struggling just to survive, is truly appreciated.
Let’s hope that some hearts & minds will be changed by those reading this op-ed.
Take very good care, my friends. Blessings always.
LIVING POSITIVELY, debbie
www.mpwn-uganda.org