It’s real, and it’s affecting more people than you might think.

July 2008

By Rachael Boyer, World Vision U.S.

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?

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.