Due to some of the activities alleged in the report, which was compiled by the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia, the United States had earlier pulled back the food aid it provided to Somalia.

Among the allegations reported by the New York Times:

* A handful of Somali contractors for aid agencies have formed a cartel and [became] important power brokers — some of whom channel their profits, or the aid itself, directly to armed opposition groups.

* Somali ministers, members of Parliament, diplomats and ‘freelance brokers’ have transformed access to foreign visas into a growth industry, matched possibly only by piracy, selling visas for $10,000 to $15,000 each…[and]…that many of the people who are presented as part of an official government entourage are actually pirates or members of militant groups.

The report lays blame for many of these problems with the World Food Programme, accusing it of relying too much on local contractors, some of whom may have ties to militant groups like Al Shabab.

Somalia’s president, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed rejected the findings of the Security Council report outright.  Also, according to the New York Times, “Several independent experts on the country said that while the report might have had some minor faults, it captured the larger picture accurately.”

Calls for an independent inquiry into the report’s findings have not yet been addressed by the United Nations.

Posted by Michael Lucivero.

On Thursday, the vault crossed a major threshold with the addition of the 500,000th seed, coming close to ensuring that the planet’s existing agricultural diversity would be preserved if a major disaster struck.

How secure is the facility?  What kind of disasters can it withstand?  Read the article from the Discovery Channel to find out.

Posted by Michael Lucivero.

Her interview addresses the key role that women play in agricultural labor and food security for the household.  She also discusses the risks facing women and girls at vulnerable stages (e.g. childhood and pregnancy) when food access and nutrition are compromised, as well as how barriers, both natural and man-made, can complicate the process of getting food to women in emergency situations.

Despite these challenges, Jallow argues that women are the key figures in addressing food crises around the world, saying:

“Although more than 60 percent of chronically hungry people in the world are women, experience shows that food put in the hands of women is far more likely to reach the mouths of needy children, and to be distributed equitably. “

Posted by Sara Chupein

As millions of Chinese farmers migrate toward cities from rural countrysides, the influx of people into urban areas creates a greater demand for meat, grain, and dairy products.  But China’s soil is overly-polluted, overworked from years of crop turnout, and heavily artificially fertilized.   China’s first pollution census, released earlier this month, even identified farm fertilizers as being a bigger source of contamination in water than factory run-off.

Now the Chinese government says it is creating plans to combat the soil issue,  including introducing two strands of genetically modified rice.  Outside of the government response, agricultural entrepreneurs are also engaging in cross-border farming - a practice in which Chinese farmers buy land in neighboring countries to grow crops.

The implications of not addressing the soil issue are high for both China and the rest of the world.  Domestically, three hundred million to four hundred million people are predicted to move from the countryside to the city over the next 30 years. Globally, China feeds 22% of the world population.  Both perspectives make for tall orders, considering China sits on only10% of the planet’s arable land.  If the soil of that land cannot produce, experts fear a food crisis will follow.

The solutions, while needed, are also complicated.  Han Jun, an expert on rural policy at the Development Research Centre,  said “it is possible for us to use less fertilizer, but impossible not to use fertilizer at all…We are now trying to guide farmers to use it in a more scientific way and to use more natural fertilizer from their households.”

“We cannot be complacent. We know supply-and-demand is vulnerable…We have a forced balance now that requires strong intervention by the government. This is a tense balance that can be easily broken.”

Posted by Sara Chupein

An irregular and shortened rainy season last year contributed heavily to the conditions producing insufficient grain and fodder levels for livestock.  More than half of the population is estimated to have less than two months’ food supplies until the next harvest, estimated to be October 2010.

The government of Niger is attempting to determine approximately how much funding is needed to provide adequate food supplies to its people.

Niger faces precarious food security related situations as its climate is unpredictable. The 2005 drought in the country led to severe food shortages, consequently leading the UN to undertake a number of initiatives, including funding appeals, to prevent the famine that had already killed thousands of Niger’s children and threatened to affect nearly three million others.

Posted by Patricia Lee

The article points out how technological improvements have increased crop yields, especially in the developed world, by lowering prices for food.  When this occurs, less of a priority is made to fund new research and development intended to increase crop yields, causing food availability to decrease over the long term.

The authors also write about the impact of policies that commit more food products to be converted into biofuels, and the effect this is expected to have on food prices. To combat further food price imbalances, they urge leaders to reconsider the economics of food production.  To realize the benefits of  advances in agriculture, the authors state that stable infrastructure and markets to deliver food must also be developed.

Posted by Michael Lucivero.

Following recent outbreaks of violence by Haitians seeking food aid and supplies, feelings of desperation among many quake survivors continues to run high, as access to permanent shelters also remains elusive.  Haitians have been seeking temporary relief in tents made of sticks and sheets.  The BBC reports that only 47% of the funding needed for shelter and sanitation projects has been spent.

The Haitian government has taken steps towards improving the unequal and sometimes chaotic distribution of food by asking all non-governmental aid groups in the county to work together in ensuring streamlined distribution policies.

PBS NewsHour, reports on attempts to utilize Haiti’s agricultural sector to create a long-term solution to Haiti’s pervasive food shortages.  This measure may only have a limited impact toward making Haiti a self-sustaining food supplier, as Haiti’s agriculture sector provided only 27% of GDP prior to the earthquake and 75% of Haiti’s food came from foreign sources.

The U.S. military aid mission delivered much of the needed aid and logistics for rebuilding, but will be scaled down as of this week.  Their work to rebuild and expand Haiti’s ports and reopen its international airport will ease the rebuilding process, which will continue for much of the foreseeable future.

Read more from NPR for a photo journal of the post-earthquake landscape and the Huffington Post for a breakdown of post-earthquake numbers, one month on.

By Patricia Lee and Michael Lucivero.

Action Against Hunger has a selection of e-cards that you can send to a loved one, while making a donation in their name to fight against child malnourishment.

The World Food Programme’s (WFP) website is offering the opportunity to make donations to fight hunger in Haiti  and post photos of their loved ones on their “Wall Against Hunger“.

Sustainable Harvest International has a holiday special for those who donate $40.00 to support the planting of a “chocolate forest” in Central American.

FPA added this opportunity to the Professional Development Resources for Educators found in the “In the Classroom” section of the FPA.org website.   Visit their page to learn more about this opportunity.

Interested in the Child Hunger Corps?  Click here to find out more about qualifications needed and how to apply.

Posted by Michael Lucivero.