Weekly Article Roundup: Preparing for World Food Day 2011

By Brooke Edwards

October 3, 2019

Last Updated: October 14, 2011

Maegan's taking a much needed mini-vacation, so it's Brooke here with your Weekly Article Roundup.

I'd like to use this Roundup to prepare us for World Food Day, which is Sunday.

This year's topic for World Food Day is Food Prices–From Crisis to Stability. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations wants us to consider what causes major swings in food prices and what can be done to reduce the impact of food prices on the poor and hungry in the world.
We posted about a New York Times editorial back in December 2010 warning of a food crisis in 2011. It's terribly unfortunate that this prediction has come true. Rising food prices has been a significant factor in the famine in East Africa.
Rising food prices is a complicated situation, and it's happening over much of the world. In Bolivia, the price for quinoa–an extremely nutritious crop grown and consumed in Bolivia for centuries–has risen to a price many Bolivians can't afford. The cause: the increased demand for quinoa in the United States and Europe. The effects: poor Bolivians are eating cheaper, less nutritious foods instead.
In June this year, Maegan wrote about the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2011-2020 and asked us what changes we've had to make in our own lives to avoid higher grocery bills
Rising food prices aren't just affecting the poor in developing countries. Families in the United States are being hit by higher grocery bills. Even Sesame Street is tackling food insecurity.
And if you need a reminder of why we need to work to stabilize food prices–so children and families won't starve–you can go back to this video and see for yourself. We must act now; we must act fast; we must act big.
In addition to Sunday being World Food Day, it's also Blog Action Day 2011, which has a complimentary theme of Food. Stay tuned for a series of posts from Heifer staff on topics related to food on Sunday in honor and celebration of the day.