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Why the World's Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty

Roger Thurow and Scott Kilman
Public Affairs, 2010
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Editorial Rating

8

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  • Innovative

Recommendation

Farm subsidies started out as a good way to protect hardworking US and European farmers against the vagaries of the marketplace and the weather. But they’ve morphed into a major reason why the developing world suffers regular, devastating famines. The effects of subsidies on commodity prices often mean that poor farmers, particularly those in Africa, cannot make any money selling their harvests, so they cannot buy the seeds and fertilizers they need to grow future crops. Without incomes, they and their families starve. In this revealing, shocking book, Wall Street Journal reporters Roger Thurow and Scott Kilman examine how – as they contend – practices by rich nations keep developing nations poor and hungry. getAbstract recommends this book to those who want to know why, in the 21st century, people still starve to death, and what’s to be done about it.

Summary

Abundance, Then Starvation

Massive famines continue to plague humanity, despite the Earth’s capacity to feed everyone on the planet. The world’s nations are well-aware of the scourge of starvation; they send food and aid once famine hits a country or region, yet the help often comes too late to save millions and does little to address the reasons for hunger. In the face of recurring food shortages, attempts to stem the causes of famine have so far failed.

Take the case of Ethiopia. Reeling from devastating starvation in 1984, Ethiopia opened its farms to scientists and activists who came to Africa to introduce new miracle seeds, along with improved farming methods and other technological advances. Food production soared as a result; by 2000, it appeared that Ethiopia would finally be able to feed itself. In 2002, its peasant farmers enjoyed bumper crops, but its primitive food markets were not up to handling this influx, so food prices plummeted. As a result, farmers could not earn enough money to cover their expenses. To reduce their 2003 planting costs, they purchased cheaper, low-quality seed. They stopped buying fertilizer. They turned off their irrigation systems...

About the Authors

Roger Thurow is a foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, where Scott Kilman covers agriculture. In 2005, the United Nations honored them for their reporting.

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