Global Food Crisis?

A few weeks ago I was in Nashville attending a conference of broadcasters (long story) when in one of the symposiums a well known international organization that serves a wide variety of needs globally ran a video called; The Global Food Crisis.Of course, the video was quite compelling with sights and sounds of children and families, countries in famine, and the people globally trying to connect resource and need.

I was already to buy in.

But, as is my habit I researched the premise of whether we are in a global food crisis and asked a few questions along the way;
Are we truly in a global food crisis?
Is this a food shortage issue?
Is this a food transportation issue?
Is this a food distribution issue?

Interesting enough, here at home our national grain reserves are the lowest since the 1960's. Further research shows that low grain reserves are against the backdrop reality that millions of tons of grain are on the ground (literally) in the Midwest in states like Nebraska and Iowa - rotting.

The reasons for rotting grain seem to be as many as the grain itself, from lack of rail transportation and lack of distribution outlets to the price per ton itself.
However, when you research globally the food crisis equation, it’s not hard to question whether the crisis is in fact food.

In fact, a case can be made that we’re NOT in a global food crisis – not that such a crisis can’t exist or even that certain present realities couldn’t put the global community in a crisis of food – it’s just that I don’t think we’re in a food crisis just yet.

I do however think we’re in a Global Poverty Crisis. It’s not so much that there is not enough food, but that poverty can’t afford what food that is available.

Let me be quick to add that of the three components needed to stabilize a life, food is number one followed by clothing and shelter. To a starving person it hardly matters whether the source of their hunger is poverty or lack of food.

However the point in defining the right problem will determine whether the work we choose to do will bring daily solutions or build endurance into solutions that last a life time.

Dan