It’s a busy fall on the food security front.  In September the United Nations through its Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2014 (SOFI 2014) in which it reported that about 805 million people suffer from chronic hunger.  This incomprehensibly high number actually represents progress.  Since more than 26 countries and a host of NGOs began making initial funding commitment to support global agriculture development in 2009 at the G-8 meeting in L’Aquila, Italy, the number of people suffering from chronic hunger has been edging downward – from 842 million last year and just over a billion in 2012. ... Read More

Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, and Integrated Marketing Communications in conjunction with USA Today has just released a series of reports on the U.S. food aid program. These reports add to the bounty of governmental and non-governmental studies citing the incredible shipping expenses associated with these programs. The reports confirm that rational reforms would save the lives of many people in desperate circumstances, as well as reducing costs for taxpayers.  Unfortunately, these reforms are opposed by special interests that benefit financially from these inefficiencies.... Read More