Time to Act
by Jenna Moser
Perhaps you were involved in a discussion similar to this: “Dude, there is absolutely nothing made in the U.S. – Everything comes from China, Japan, India, and so many other places.”
Now maybe you didn’t know how to reply because you looked at the tag on your shirt and realized that the cotton material you are wearing is from Haiti. You too discovered that a vast majority of material items in the United States is in fact, not from the United States.
A few weeks ago I was engaged in a conversation very similar to the one previously stated. After listening to the complaints, I had to respond in a positive manner. I noted that, despite the fact that our material items are not predominantly from our home country, we do have something that is far greater. According to the American Farm Bureau, we are a food secure nation. We produce up to 84% of the food we eat and the remaining 16% is largely to provide options and variety to our high demand. The fact that we produce over 80% of everything we as Americans consume is OUTSTANDING for us, but tragic when compared to other countries and their need to be self-sustainable.
Norman Borlaug once said: “Food is a Moral Right.” What a powerful statement, and yet this right is denied to too many people. In fact, according to the World Food Programme website, “There are 925 million undernourished people in the world today. That means that one in seven people do not get enough food to be healthy and lead and active life.” This is not acceptable.
Thankfully there are many organizations that do research and help to teach farming and agricultural practices in developing countries to direct them to become self-sustainable. Some of these organizations include: The World Food Programme, The World Food Prize, Bread for the World, UNICEF, Missions groups, and so many more. Thousands and thousands of people have joined the fight to end World Hunger. What are you doing, to help grant people their moral right, and help our world to become food sustainable?
Our time to act is…………… NOW!!!
