The world is still hungry

The new economic powerhouses of Asia told participants at the World Food Summit, which ended last week, that their rice fields and oceans could, in the future, not only feed their own growing populations, but much of the rest of humanity.

Rejecting the doomsday prediction that it would have to purchase more and more of its food needs in the future, a confident China said its farms were now among the most productive in the world and helped feed one-fifth of the global population.

The world's most populous nation was confident of achieving the annual 1 percent growth needed in its food supply to feed its growing population, using state-of-the-art farm technology to cultivate its estimated 20 million hectares of wasteland.

Food prices in domestic and international markets must be regulated and be made to reflect the true costs of production. This would ensure that peasant families have adequate incomes.

It is unacceptable that the trade in foodstuffs continues to be based on the economic exploitation of the most vulnerable -- the lowest-earning producers -- and further degradation of the environment.

Perhaps a cue can be taken from Irish Premier John Burton, currently president of the European Union, who put respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms at the top of the union's list when he addressed the summit.

These were "necessary conditions" for eradicating hunger, he said. The others were: a democratic political system, a transparent and effective legal framework, transparent and accountable governance and administration, and effective and equal participation by all people in decisions affecting their food security.

Every citizen in the world has the right to be free from violence. Food must not be used as a weapon. Increasing levels of poverty and marginalization in the countryside, along with the growing oppression of ethnic minorities and indigenous people, aggravate situations of injustice and hopelessness.

The technological fix touted in Asia will not solve the world's food problem. What is needed is a more humane approach, with peasants and small farmers providing direct input into formulating agricultural policies.

-- The Nation, Bangkok