Writing the cover story with ambassador Kip Tom was a good reminder to me of how many people in the world are struggling to eat — or even survive — each day. When food is scarce, life boils down to its barest of essentials. Annually, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) helps feed more than 115 million people in 84 countries.
STAVE OFF STARVATION
In late October, David Beasley, WFP chief executive, said $6.6 billion could keep 42 million people from famine’s door. The money would provide a single meal a day for one year for people on the brink in 43 countries.
Via the telephone game that is social media, his statement was eventually misinterpreted to mean $6 billion would end global hunger. It quickly began a firestorm via Twitter. Tesla owner and the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, responded to calls for the world’s billionaires to step in.
He tweeted, “If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it.”
Beasley replied: “Headline not accurate. $6B will not solve world hunger but it WILL prevent geopolitical instability, mass migration and save 42 million
people on the brink of starvation.”
Musk answered by asking the WFP to publish its current and proposed spending in detail so people can see exactly where the money goes. “Sunlight is a wonderful thing,” he wrote.
SIMPLE AND COMPLEX
This is a single exchange in the continually passionate battle against global hunger. It’s a war that rages, with a myriad of causes and a litany of solutions. Solving these crises are both simple and complex. It’s both possible and impossible. The answers are never easy, fast or free, but the effort is worthwhile.
When you sit down to enjoy the holidays with friends and family, remember and appreciate the fortune this country provides. We are farmers. We feed people. Whether its $1 or $6 billion, every life is worthy of the effort.
