The food crisis

"I am afraid my grandchildren may die of hunger," says Esteher, who lives in Zambia. She feeds her grandchildren roots, leaves, and flowers that they find in the bush.
Photo ©2008 Collins Kaumba/World Vision

We are in a global food crisis. It might not be readily apparent here in the United States, where food costs are slowly creeping up by cents, not dollars, but in many parts of the world, millions of vulnerable families are struggling just to feed their children.

The World Food Bank estimates that the current rise in food prices could push another 100 million people deeper into poverty, creating an astounding total of 1 billion hungry people. In a world where more than enough food is produced to feed all of God's children, and where so many countries have conquered hunger, a food shortage is unacceptable.

It is unacceptable that hunger contributes to the deaths of more than 5 million children who never reach their fifth birthday. And it is unacceptable that chronic malnutrition threatens the long-term health of tens of millions more.

This is for real

Right now, many of the world's poorest families earn less than $2 per day, and 75 percent of that income is literally eaten up by the cost of food. Then, there are those who simply can't keep up. In some areas, children are reportedly searching for wild leaves to eat, and malnutrition is becoming commonplace.

World Vision, along with other aid groups, are having to make changes to food distribution plans because of the current situation. Simply put, a dollar does not buy as much as it used to, and many food aid programs are being affected by the rising prices.

Some groups may have to substitute less nutritional bulk foods to distribute instead of the more expensive nutrient-fortified foods. Groups may also have to reduce the geographical size of food distribution areas.

Why is this happening?

Many Americans are cringing as we adapt to gas prices, which have increased dramatically during the past year. The market forces of supply and demand contribute to those higher gas prices, impacting the cost of food. Gas is needed to transport the seeds, tools, and fertilizer necessary to grow the food, and gas is needed again to transport that food to the global marketplace.

But increased gas prices are not the only factors in the food crisis — regional, environmental, and political issues are taking their toll as well. Drought, a poor rainy season, environmental degradation, increased demand for biofuel, and increases in fertilizer costs are all factors.

What is World Vision doing to help?

These children depend on the meals they get from a World Vision school feeding program in Burundi.
©2008 Venerande Murekambaze/World Vision

Of course, we want to help as many people as possible, but we must be strategic. In conjunction with providing short-term help, like food distributions, we also are working on achieving our long-term goals of helping communities create sustainable food supplies.

World Vision staff members are working with communities to create those sustainable food supplies by helping farmers increase their harvests, providing community-based care and intervention, encouraging crop diversification, helping communities produce their food locally, and facilitating and encouraging peacebuilding efforts in areas of conflict.

We also advocate for increased food aid resources in our nation's capital. In conjunction with other programs, food aid can lessen the impact of world hunger and break the cycle of extreme poverty. World Vision is urging Congress to fund and expand existing programs to ensure that we are doing all we can to address the needs of the most hungry.

Food prices exact a harsh toll on hungry children worldwide

Fatima, 11, is engaged to a wealthy older man who gave her parents $6,000 in exchange. They had no other way to afford food.
Photo ©2008 Mary Kate MacIsaac/World Vision

Whether eliciting stunned eyebrow raises or horrified sobs, grocery bills and gas prices are taking their toll. People from Seattle to Miami and Afghanistan to Zambia are frantically trying to find ways to cope. Those already struggling to survive are falling deeper into poverty, and the previously self-sufficient are now begging for help.

Children are often the hardest hit, and impoverished communities are the first to suffer, as these stories illustrate.

Afghanistan: Girls sold for food

In Afghanistan, where more than half of all children under age 5 are chronically malnourished, some parents are forced to take extreme measures — selling their pre-teen daughters as wives for older, affluent men.

"We didn't want to sell her," says the mother of 11-year-old Fatima. "We wanted to wait until she was 20. But we were forced to. There was no other way."

Fatima is now engaged to a man who gave her parents $6,000. "We have no money," her mother continues. "These days, the high price of food is affecting us in a bad way … we are borrowing money just to buy food."

Georgia: Abandoned to orphanages

In the nearby nation of Georgia, parents are abandoning their children to orphanages, institutions where some food is guaranteed. "I made the hardest decision of my life," says Marina, a mother of six. "Taking my children to the orphanage was the only solution for us; otherwise, they would die of hunger." Her children are now back at home but fearful that a return to the orphanage is looming.

Chile: Living by bread alone

Berta, left, a 41-year-old mother in Chile, spends a quarter of her income just on bread.
Photo ©2008 Renato Hernandez/World Vision

In Chile, the price of bread has tripled since January. As a single mother, Berta spends a quarter of her income on bread alone. She cooks every other day to save on fuel and no longer buys chicken, only bones. "The children get hungry," she says. "Everything is so expensive, and I must give them something to eat."

Senegal: No food until October

In Senegal, after tear gas and riot gear dispersed protests against high food prices, people like Marie Diouf, mother of six, are left waiting. Last year's food production was poor, and the next harvest isn't until October. "There is a long way before the next harvest," says Marie. "This situation sinks us into deep poverty and misery."

Mongolia: Education suffers from hunger

On good days, Garangsuren, an 8-year-old girl in Mongolia, eats one cup of broth with flour for dinner. Other days, she only drinks tea or eats a fried piece of flour. She often goes hungry. As food prices increase, it's becoming harder for Garangsuren to stay in school. Her growling stomach makes concentration difficult, and though education is free, her family cannot afford school supplies.

World Vision: An urgent and long-term response

Today, for families whose cooking pots and stomachs are empty, World Vision is saving lives by providing essential provisions of food. With the future in mind, we are also helping farmers grow healthy, nutritious crops, and enabling entrepreneurs to establish and grow businesses.

Immediate food aid and long-term assistance are key tools to fight hunger and the food insecurity that causes chronic or emergency shortages of nutrition around the world.

But higher food prices mean World Vision can't help as many people this year. World Vision is asking the U.S. government to increase its response to the global food crisis to ensure that we are doing all we can to address the needs of the most hungry.

"Here in the U.S., we may feel the pinch on our budgets, too — but we can still put food on our tables. But the poorest families in the world live on $1 a day," says Robert Zachritz, World Vision's director of advocacy and government relations. "They have no safety net. When food prices rise by 50 percent, it is devastating.

"Congress is considering adding $850 million in funding for food in 2008, but it's still pending. In order to save lives, Congress needs to act quickly."