Author: COLIN BETTLES, Farmonline.com

FOR the first time in the history of our planet, one billion people are starving and another two million are undernourished.

The starvation and malnourishment is occurring at horrific levels in third world Africa, while Asia is also suffering greatly from the lack of basic life elements.

The advancement and enrichment of modern agricultural production techniques offers sustainable solutions to these problems.

The practical knowledge and know-how needed to stimulate agricultural output in the areas at greatest risk, is immediately ascertainable from a number of willing sources.

The World Bank estimates it will cost about $10 billion per year to make a significant dent in the problem.

Governments around the world, including ours in Australia, have made repeated public commitments to increase foreign aid and assistance programs to help achieve these critical goals.

Between them, these Governments can afford to kick in the $10b now.

However, for reasons known only to those in charge, political inertia continues to entangle the solution, while the starvation and malnutrition continues to escalate at an alarming rate.

Speaking at a special lunch hosted by the WA branch of the Crawford Fund, New York-based Professor Glenn Denning, expressed frustration over the third world’s food security dilemma.

Professor Denning is a member of the steering committee for the United Nations high level task force on the global food crisis.

He is also a concerned Australian and said the planet now had, “one hell of a catastrophe on its hands”.

Billions of people are set to be wiped-out, unless this inertia is removed.

In making his plea to members of the Fund, who play a key role in supporting agricultural development and extension, Professor Denning said he wanted Australia’s position on the world’s food security dilemmas to become a central issue at next year’s Federal Election in Australia.

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