The 2008 Report of the Millennium Development Goals is out today. Seeing this, along with this editorial piece by The Age's economics editor, Tim Colebatch, drives home the key point that the world food crisis is far from over. High food prices may drive 100 million more people into extreme poverty this year, eroding the substantial progress that has been achieved in the eradication of extreme poverty since the MDG were instituted.
Tag Archives: poverty
The Food Stamp Challenge
Imagine eating for $3/day. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that this is the average food stamp for recipients of this federal program. There is no way that a person can eat fresh fruit or vegetables or whole grains (you know, the things that are supposed to be at the base of the new food pyramid?) on that sort of budget. A man my age is supposed to eat three cups of vegetables each day according to the USDA. Forget about coffee or tea. One could imagine eating decently if one had the time to spend on food preparation (legume soups come to mind). However, if you're a member of the working poor, time is not something you typically have a lot of. The American News Project has a video that discusses the problem of hunger in the United States today. They interview Jim McGovern, Congressman from the Massachusetts 3rd District and a long-time advocate for domestic food security. I am left wondering, how well would I do eating on $3/day?