"famine" news and stories

So often here on Slashfood we focus on tasty things to eat that we often forget about the places in the world where the people don't have enough to eat. CNN's Anderson Cooper has been in Africa recently, doing special reports for 60 Minutes and on Sunday night presented a story about Plumpynut. It's a combination of peanut butter, powdered milk, powdered sugar and vitamins that is preventing children in famine-wracked countries from dying of malnutrition. It is cheap to make, doesn't need refrigeration and is so easy to eat that many kids can feed themselves. For all the peanut allergies in this country, doctors who hand out the Plumpynut say that they don't see much, if any incident of allergy in the countries where this product is being used.

With all the reports of dangerous food and agribusiness in this country these days, it's nice to hear a story about how lives are being saved with the distribution of such a simple food.

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Rice is a crop that needs a lot of water to grow successfully, but too much water can be devastating, and as rice fields are usually in very low-lying lands, a flood can mean the difference between feast and famine in some parts of the world. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, in collaboration with UC Riverside and the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines, are breeding a type of rice plant that can survive - and thrive - under water for up to two weeks, which is far longer than the three or so days that the plants generally last.

The gene that is responsible for the this submerged survival has been known or about fifty years, but it has only been in the past decade that scientists were able to isolate it and figure out how it worked. One of the primary goals is to bring the rice into areas that are at high risk of flash flooding, particularly in rural areas in Asia where the population could be devastated by a ruined crop. Another main goal is to take advantage of the ability to keep crops underwater for extended periods of time to keep weeds under control without increasing the use of pesticides or herbicides on the crops. This reduction in the use of potentially harmful chemicals could result in cleaner water supplies as the floodwaters run off the fields, less expensive rice production and higher yields. The new strain will also appeal to organic farmers, who will be able to reap the same weed-reducing benefits.

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Back in 1971 a young girl and 14 friends staged a "starve-in" in a church basement in Calgary. Their aim was to bring attention to the plight of starving African children. They raised $600 and donated the money to World Vision, a child-focused aid organization. Little did those kids realize that 35 years later the World Vision 30 Hour Famine would attract 150,000 Canadian teens and raise millions of dollars.

In 2005, they raised $4.1 million. The 30 Hour Famine is now held in 15 countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States). By going without solid food for 30 hours, participants experience for just over one day what many children face every day of their lives. Awareness is raised about conditions in developing countries while raising much needed funds for programs that tackle the root causes of poverty.

This year, World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine will be held on April 7 and 8, 2006.

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