Resource Library
World Affairs Seminar 2020: Hunger in a World of Plenty
After a prolonged decline, world hunger is on the rise: in 2016 an estimated 815 million around the world did not have access to enough food to meet basic nutritional needs. Hunger is particularly a problem in the developing world, where violent conflicts, economic crises, and weather-related catastrophes have wreaked havoc on both food production and availability. Yet hunger is also an issue in the United States, where 1 in 6 Americans find themselves dealing with food insecurity on any given day. Such global statistics are not due to lack of food. For the past twenty years, the rate of global food production has increased faster than the rate of global population growth. That means that there is more than 1 ½ times enough food to feed everyone on the globe. How can hunger continue to persist in such a world of plenty?
Resources & Further Reading
The origin of crops
Where our food crops come from
Is a Global Famine Coming?
CNN: “Coronavirus pandemic will cause global famines of ‘biblical proportions,’ UN warns”
How did we end up here?
New York Review: “The Sickness in Our Food Supply”
Farms gone digital
Salon: “From virtual farmers markets to CSA apps, farmers have gone digital to get produce to consumers”
Taking it seriously
CNN: “It’s time to talk more seriously about the food supply”
Disrupting the food supply
CNN: “What happens to our food supply if American farmers can’t farm?”
VIDEO: American Experience
PBS: “The Man Who Tried to Feed the World: A Tale of Good Deeds and Unintended Consequences”
Food insecurity is more than just hunger
FAO: “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World” 2019.
Mega-Famines
Aljazeera: “‘We’re facing a double pandemic’: UN body warns of ‘mega-famines'”
Relieving Hunger
NYT: “‘As Hunger Swells, Food Stamps Become a Partisan Flash Point'”
Urban Homesteading
Salon: “Raise chickens? Make preserves? Why Americans are flocking to urban homesteading activities”
Food deserts
CNN: “Groceries were hard to find for millions. Now it’s getting even worse”
Destroying Crops
[VIDEO] CNN: “‘Farmer had to destroy his crop amid food shortage fears'”
Micro-Gardening
TMJ4: “How a UW-Milwaukee micro-garden keeps hungry students fed with nourishing food”
Community Supported Agriculture
[AUDIO] Wisconsin Public Radio: “As Food Supply Chain Breaks Down, Farm-To-Door CSAs Take Off”
Victory Gardens
NYT: “Food Supply Anxiety Brings Back Victory Gardens”
Innovative Solutions
Agricycle Global
Seminar Video Recordings
Introductory Workshop: Dr. Kelly Ottman
Coming Soon!
Keynote #1: Neal Patel
Coming Soon!
Keynote #2: Sherri Tussler
Coming Soon!
Keynote #3: Jon Rubin
Coming Soon!