Comments on: Launch of ‘If’ – new megacampaign to tackle global hunger: how does it compare with ‘Make Poverty History’? http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=13435 duncan green poverty to power oxfam development Tue, 21 May 2013 15:45:19 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: Katie McKenna http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=13435&cpage=1#comment-356855 Katie McKenna Wed, 23 Jan 2013 23:22:55 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=13435#comment-356855 Watching the video makes one realize how much this issue, like so many others, is really about getting money out of politics and changing who politicians are beholden to. But as long as Iowa and other farming states plays the oversized role they do in U.S. politics, massive farm subsidies aren't going anywhere (and the infuriating panacea of food aid will be here to stay). Devastating Exhibit A is this recent Foreign Policy article, "Subsidizing Starvation How American tax dollars are keeping Arkansas rice growers fat on the farm and starving millions of Haitians." http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/01/11/subsidizing_starvation?page=full&wp_login_redirect=0 "If" is a smart campaign, but when you look at the global hunger issue through the frame of money, politics and power (which, to their credit, they do), it's a bit hard to see why 2013 will be different than any other year. Is this global 'moment' so powerful that governments will realistically cut massive, devastating subsidies to their own farmers? I doubt it, but I hope I'm wrong. Watching the video makes one realize how much this issue, like so many others, is really about getting money out of politics and changing who politicians are beholden to.

But as long as Iowa and other farming states plays the oversized role they do in U.S. politics, massive farm subsidies aren’t going anywhere (and the infuriating panacea of food aid will be here to stay).

Devastating Exhibit A is this recent Foreign Policy article,
“Subsidizing Starvation
How American tax dollars are keeping Arkansas rice growers fat on the farm and starving millions of Haitians.” http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/01/11/subsidizing_starvation?page=full&wp_login_redirect=0

“If” is a smart campaign, but when you look at the global hunger issue through the frame of money, politics and power (which, to their credit, they do), it’s a bit hard to see why 2013 will be different than any other year.

Is this global ‘moment’ so powerful that governments will realistically cut massive, devastating subsidies to their own farmers? I doubt it, but I hope I’m wrong.

]]> By: Pauline Rose http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=13435&cpage=1#comment-355869 Pauline Rose Wed, 23 Jan 2013 13:35:59 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=13435#comment-355869 This is indeed an impressive campaign on a vital issue. Let's hope it has the desired impact of convincing world leaders to put hunger on the agenda at the G20 and, in turn, for us to see an end to hunger in the near future. By total coincidence, we had put out a piece this week on education needing a Bill Gates (who, I see, is one of the supporters of the IF campaign). Our piece in AlJazeera is here: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/01/2013121141327686972.html One thing that perplexes me is that the concerns we raise about the lack of a business leader to champion education can apply equally to international NGOs. There are some really great people within some of the large NGOs who are doing excellent work on education. But I don't see any of the large, international NGOs taking leadership in championing it. Yet we know we have a global learning crisis, with 250 million primary school age children not learning the basics - a just cause, I would have thought, for CEOs of NGOs to rally behind? Some might of course argue that education doesn't save lives so why should we care (we had a blog on this a while back: http://efareport.wordpress.com/2011/02/09/education-doesn%E2%80%99t-save-lives-so-why-should-we-care/). But we have ample evidence to show that education, does, in fact save lives - whether mothers' education ensuring that they get antenatal care, or their children getting necessary health care, to list just a couple of examples. I would love to hear your thoughts on this - and also what you think can be done to get education higher up the agenda before it is too late. This is indeed an impressive campaign on a vital issue. Let’s hope it has the desired impact of convincing world leaders to put hunger on the agenda at the G20 and, in turn, for us to see an end to hunger in the near future.

By total coincidence, we had put out a piece this week on education needing a Bill Gates (who, I see, is one of the supporters of the IF campaign). Our piece in AlJazeera is here: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/01/2013121141327686972.html

One thing that perplexes me is that the concerns we raise about the lack of a business leader to champion education can apply equally to international NGOs. There are some really great people within some of the large NGOs who are doing excellent work on education. But I don’t see any of the large, international NGOs taking leadership in championing it.

Yet we know we have a global learning crisis, with 250 million primary school age children not learning the basics – a just cause, I would have thought, for CEOs of NGOs to rally behind?

Some might of course argue that education doesn’t save lives so why should we care (we had a blog on this a while back: http://efareport.wordpress.com/2011/02/09/education-doesn%E2%80%99t-save-lives-so-why-should-we-care/). But we have ample evidence to show that education, does, in fact save lives – whether mothers’ education ensuring that they get antenatal care, or their children getting necessary health care, to list just a couple of examples.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this – and also what you think can be done to get education higher up the agenda before it is too late.

]]> By: Maggie http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=13435&cpage=1#comment-355548 Maggie Wed, 23 Jan 2013 11:32:35 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=13435#comment-355548 Consequence of my age is the video is very Tony Hart! But do like the acknowledgement of complexity and the push to get a more positive ‘what can be done’ debate going on development. Consequence of my age is the video is very Tony Hart! But do like the acknowledgement of complexity and the push to get a more positive ‘what can be done’ debate going on development.

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