Opinion Columnists |

Gerald Winegrad: Worsening hunger crisis requires those with plenty to help feed the starving | COMMENTARY

We are extremely fortunate to live in a country that is the greatest producer of agricultural products in the world.

The U.S. is one of the few net food exporters globally, sending $180 billion in food products overseas last year. We have an abundant, safe, cheap and wide selection of food. But intensive agricultural production comes with a massive environmental price, including the fouling of our waters from fertilizers, manure and pesticides, and 10% of all U.S. global warming emissions.

For most of us, the problem is not having enough to eat but rather eating too much. Despite our food abundance, there is a seismic global hunger crisis caused by a deadly combination of factors. Wars and internal conflicts are the biggest drivers of hunger, with 70% of the world’s hungry people living in areas afflicted by such violence.

Climate disasters including floods, avalanches, fires and drought also diminish farm productivity. In 2021, climate extremes were the main driver of acute hunger in eight African countries, pushing 23 million people into near famine. Rising food prices and inequitable distribution of food also affect food insecurity among the poorest.

This global food crisis is the largest in modern history. Since the United Nations World Food Program’s (WFP) creation in 1963, never has hunger reached such devastating heights.

From the eruption of new conflicts and the escalating impacts of the climate crisis to soaring food and fuel costs, 783 million people are facing chronic hunger, not consuming enough food to lead an active, healthy life. About 49 million people are on the brink of starvation. This lack of food leads to malnutrition, life-threatening illnesses, and deaths.

Malnourished mothers give birth to malnourished babies, passing hunger from one generation to the next. Children’s physical and cognitive growth is stunted. Farmers are unable to grow enough food to provide for their families and communities. People are forced to abandon their homes in search of food. They do not know where their next meal is coming from. Some are eating grass.

The world produces enough food for all 8.1 billion humans to survive. But conflict, extreme weather events and inequality prevent the poorest from accessing enough food for survival. Roughly a third of the world’s food is wasted — about 1.3 billion tons a year. In many wealthier countries, this food waste happens in the kitchen when we prepare foods that go uneaten or leave food to spoil in fridges and kitchen cabinets. The least we can do is not waste food.

In poorer countries, food waste occurs at harvest time from inadequate storage facilities leading to pest infestations and mold ruining crops. Lack of access to technology and markets forces some farmers to watch their crops rot in fields. Wasting food also wastes all the resources used to produce food.

Exacerbating food shortages, nearly 40% of the planet’s total land area is degraded, forcing farmers to abandon their fields, or leaving them with dry land that can barely produce food.

The use of corn to fuel vehicles also adds to food deprivation. The U.S. is the world’s largest corn producer, consumer and exporter. In 2023, we grew corn on 94 million acres of land — more than 15 times the land mass of Maryland.

About 15% of the corn was exported while 40% went to produce ethanol to blend with gasoline to fuel our vehicles. The federal Renewable Fuels Standard law dictates that 15 billion gallons of ethanol be mixed with gasoline annually — so your gas is now 15% ethanol.

During a half-century of environmental advocacy, I found the ethanol mandate to be one of the ugliest political scams I encountered. Since 2006, it has forced Americans to burn corn in their vehicles. This subsidized boondoggle results in driving up the price of one of the most important human foods.

In 2007, Jean Ziegler, the then-UN Food Rapporteur, called the conversion of arable land to grow food crops for biofuels “a crime against humanity” and urged a moratorium to halt the “catastrophe.” Other humanitarians also have voiced such grave ethical problems with corn prices driving poorer people to starvation. But the agribusiness juggernaut has stifled reforms.

Consider that if you burn gas in your car, each time you press down on your accelerator you are burning oil and corn. The corn being burned as ethanol in the U.S. could meet the necessary dietary caloric intake of 7% of the world’s people for one year.

The ethanol mandate also has led to increased fertilizer use, especially of nitrogen, as corn is a nitrogen-intensive crop. Much of this nitrogen fouls our ground and surface waters including here in bay country.

The putative purpose of the ethanol mandate of reducing global warming gases has been refuted by scientists as ethanol production and use produces 24% more greenhouse emissions than gasoline. We can drive either non-gas vehicles with solar-powered electricity or highly fuel-efficient hybrid/electric vehicles and try to drive less. Gas hogs are also corn hogs.

Carol and I watch the PBS Newshour nightly for our televised news fix. We are devastated by the pictures of malnourished starving children and their families. We avert our eyes or quickly change the channel to keep from crying as we liberally feed our bellies.

I urge you to contribute all you can to the UN World Food Program, the absolute best food organization, courageously among the first on the scene in an emergency caused by conflict, drought, floods, earthquakes and crop failures. In 2023, the program reached an estimated 150 million people with food, cash and commodity vouchers in 120 countries.

Cindy McCain, the widow of Sen. John McCain, is executive director and dedicated to meeting the UN Zero Hunger Challenge by 2033. Just think, your donation might save a child’s life.

The WFP also assists in providing water to some of the 25% of people around the world who lack safe drinking water sources. Coupled with inadequate sanitation, this can affect how people prepare and eat their meals by increasing the incidence of waterborne diseases, a major cause of malnutrition. WFP also helps establish water sources for drinking and farming.

Please be cognizant that hunger in the U.S. rose sharply in 2022, with 44 million people in households experiencing food insecurity, including 13 million children. This was the first increase in more than a decade.

The Anne Arundel County Food Bank has 76 Network Partners with food pantries, including for babies and seniors. There are on-site feeding centers at 115 distribution points across the county.

Last year 3,406,634 pounds of food and basic necessities were distributed, enough to fill 133 school buses. I recommend giving to the local food bank to be sure our neighbors don’t go hungry. Volunteers are also needed.

Gerald Winegrad represented the greater Annapolis area as a Democrat in the Maryland House of Delegates and Senate for 16 years. Contact him at gwwabc@comcast.net.