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Contributions from
the Column
Books and Media
Where do hunger and poverty come from? – An explanation for young readers
Tobin tax
First study, then support
02/2003
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Impressive descriptions, too many technical terms
Where do hunger and poverty come from? – An explanation for young readers
Jean Ziegler: Wie kommt der Hunger in die Welt? Ein Gespräch mit meinem Sohn (Why is there hunger in the world? A conversation with my son), Munich, Goldmann 2002, 176 pp., € 8.00, ISBN 3-442-15160-0
In Africa, hunger claims lives on a daily basis while in Europe people eat their fill and even throw food away. Sometimes – think of Somalia – it is the poor countries themselves that make it impossible for help to get through. When one thinks that more than 30 million people in the world died of starvation in 1999, the staggering scale of the problem becomes clear. Hunger is humanity's constant companion; it has always existed. But today there is not a single objective reason any more why people should starve. It is a myth that famines are programmed by nature, even though many still believe it.
In this book, Jean Ziegler explains the situation to his son, delivering dramatic reports on the different countries. Why is there not enough food on the world market? One explanation Ziegler puts forward is that a quarter of the entire global grain harvest is used to feed livestock in the rich countries. It would be better if people in the poor countries themselves consumed the crops they grow. The world market situation is also very complicated. If the amount of grain decreases, the number of people who starve increases. But at the same time, masses of food is destroyed. The European Union has its own logic: it wants to put its agriculture on a more efficient footing and therefore has to keep prices artificially high.
Another problem are the many wars in Africa. In some regions, depriving people of food is actually used as a weapon. The relentless advance of the deserts also helps bring about famines. As do floods, droughts and many other calamities due to the climate in many parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America. The plight of environmental refugees is dire. But are there no answers, is there no hope? Ziegler reckons that a world order governed by stock market speculators and financial bandits spreading injustice and terror needs to be overturned.
Jean Ziegler's book contains some very impressive descriptions, which provide lots of background information for young readers. However, I had to get my mother to explain a lot of the technical terms. For readers like me, the book would be easier to read if the author explained or didn't use such expressions.
Constantin Bünger, 12 years old
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