Hungry for Truth

By Austin Bailey

October 3, 2019

Last Updated: October 27, 2011

What are the most formidable obstacles in the fight against hunger? Well, first of all there's just not enough food for everyone, and there's nothing we can do to predict when famine will strike. Luckily in the modern era, hunger is only a problem in times of emergency, which is good because we have more important problems to solve.

Wait. Is that right? Actually, no. None of it is. This week the World Food Programme put out a list of 11 Myths About Global Hunger. Some of them are obvious, some are surprising and some are simply good reminders that tackling hunger is doable with the right strategies.

My favorite was Myth 7, Hunger and famine are not easy to predict and cannot be prepared for. Wrong! We have tools to predict trends in food production, rising food prices and weather that can create food scarcity. And since we know what's coming, we can make the necessary preparations to keep people from going hungry.

At Heifer, we bump up against many of these hunger myths every day. The one that's most important to set straight is Myth 11, There is nothing we can do to help hungry people. Definitely wrong! You can donate to Heifer, volunteer or look here for more ideas.