Secretary Dan Glickman

In this, my last column to appear in the USDA News, I want to talk about an aspect of USDA’s work that, I believe, is a matter of the utmost moral urgency.

We live on a planet where 800 million people are chronically hungry and malnourished. And if we don’t tackle this problem now, the global hunger crisis will only worsen over the next half century, as the world population increases by a staggering three billion. We are facing a monumental challenge that demands resources and commitment from the scientific community, the non-profit community, governments, the private sector, and ordinary citizens around the world.

I am very proud of the government’s record on international hunger. Over the last two years, the United States has shipped over 16 million metric tons of food to more than 80 countries around the world. That’s more than three times the level of the previous two years. Whenever there was a crisis overseas, we were there with the humanitarian food aid needed to help people get by. We were there when the Russian economy collapsed. We were there for Kosovar refugees. We were there this year when a devastating drought threatened the Horn of Africa.

Unfortunately, not every nation has been as generous. The United States by itself accounted for nearly two-thirds of world food assistance last year. While we are more than happy to do our share, this is not a burden we can carry alone. I hope that the rest of the developed world steps up and shows greater leadership when it comes to international food aid.

Peace and security depend on a healthy food supply. Some of the bloodiest conflicts in human history have been over shortages of food.

Last October 16 was World Food Day, an annual opportunity to shine the spotlight on the international hunger issue. I had the honor of speaking on that day at a ceremony honoring the scientists who had won the 2000 World Food Prize. But it is not enough to focus on this crisis one day out of every 365. It is my hope that, in the intensity of our commitment, we can make every day World Food Day. If we do, if we approach this issue with the vigilance it deserves, we can--in our lifetimes--make real progress toward eliminating the scourge of world hunger.