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sanctuary@bravebirds.org
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In a world where plants could provide more than enough food for everyone today, the ongoing problem of hunger is inexcusable. The meat, dairy, and egg industries contribute to the problem of world hunger by wasting food, water, and energy on the production of unhealthy products to be consumed by people in wealthy nations.
The problem of world hunger could be solved today by means of three steps: (1) equitable distribution of existing food surpluses; (2) reduction of meat consumption by people in wealthy nations; and (3) dedication of resources to the redevelopment of sustainable agriculture in the low-income nations which have been the targets of agricultural colonialism.
During the era of European imperialism, colonized nations in Africa, Asia, and the Americas were forced to grow vast tracts of cash crops for export on lands previously devoted to sustainable production of food crops for local and regional consumption. In the immediate post-colonial era, the wealthy nations continued to wield economic power over the now impoverished former colonies. That power was used to promote the continuation of cash crop agriculture and also to promote specific agricultural practices, such as the heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides vended by multinational corporations based in the US and Europe. The result was further impoverishment, hunger, and the depletion of soil and water resources.
Today, the latest phase of agricultural colonialism has begun, under the guise of hunger relief. Facing shrinking markets and expanding regulations at home, US and multinational meat industry corporations want to relocate factory farming operations in low-income nations. They also hope to convince the citizens of such nations to increase their own consumption of meat and other animal products. If they succeed, these corporations will increase their profits at the expense of further poverty, further hunger, and further environmental degradation in low-income nations.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations should and does support the concept of sustainable agriculture. However, because of the new corporation-friendly stance of the UN, the FAO also supports plans which favor the interests of the multinational meat and dairy industries. In this, the FAO is joined by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and International Monetary Fund (IMF), both of which have used their power to force low-income nations to defer to multinational corporations.
A coalition of environmental, animal, and social justice organizations has come together to solve this emergent problem. We are proud to be among the partners in the Global Hunger Alliance and encourage other organizations to join us in the struggle to feed the world while preserving the planet. For more information, visit the GHA website or write to info@globalhunger.net
Readings
Food for the Future?
Mandate Magazine article on "the livestock revolution"
Hunger for a Solution
Animals Agenda article on the hunger-meat connection
Why Vegans Were Right All Along
Guardian (UK) article by famed journalist and activist George Monbiot
Globalized Poultry Industry
Local, national, and international impacts of the poultry industry
Selling Starvation
CorporateWatch article on the causes of hunger
Feeding the World? (pdf)
Industrial agriculture produces luxury goods rather than healthy staple foods
Reports and position papers:
GHA on World Food Summit
FARM on Hunger
CIWF on Factory Farming in Developing Countries
CIWF on the Myth of Cheap Food
CIWF on Globalization of Factory Farming
NOTE: The GHA, FARM, and CIWF reports above are in PDF format. PDF reports require Adobe Acrobat Reader. To get your free copy of Acrobat Reader go to http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/main.html
Organizations
Global Hunger Alliance
Compassion in World Farming
VegFam
Food for Life Global
Farm Animal Reform Movement
Institute for Plant Based Nutrition
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