Hundreds of millions of people around the globe suffer from hunger. But hunger, which has plagued the world for thousands of years, is a political condition, writes George McGovern in this plainspoken and necessary call to action. Ending it is a greater moral imperative than ever before because for the first time humanity has the tools and the knowledge to defeat this ancient enemy.
In The Third Freedom, McGovern lays out a workable and affordable five-point program to end world hunger. The basic facets include these steps:
High-yielding, scientific agriculture, including genetically modified crops, must be further encouraged and developed.
There are, of course, problems, concerns, and risks involved in ending world hunger while maintaining the prosperity of farmers, livestockmen, and dairymen, and protecting the global environment. McGovern addresses these and other issues in his logical, down-to-earth way. Understandably, some of the economic and social responses will be controversial. But as he passionately argues, one compelling moral issue is clear: Every major religion and ethical formulation commands its adherents to feed the hungry. We feed the hungry because it is right. McGovern argues persuasively that it will also be economically beneficial to all.
As someone who grew up on the plains of South Dakota during the drought and depression days of 1932, McGovern saw some of the world's best farmers flounder under surplus production that they could not sell for a break-even price. At the same time, he read of hunger and starvation in other parts of the world. In this groundbreaking work, he combines his personal experience and political know-how to work toward changing our world.
Customer Reviews:
A Nonpartisan, non-ideological, relatively inexpensive plan.......2004-08-22
This is NOT a utopian dream. This basic blue print should not be objectionable to conservatives, moderates or liberals. The elder statesman and historian puts forward some straight forward and relatively inexpensive proposals to end world hunger in our time. Sen. McGovern goes out of his way to praise the contribution made by some of his Republican colleagues especially Robert Dole. He recognizes the need for open markets and the value of liberalized global trade while seeing the need for sensible adjustments to deal with the social and economic upheaval. He calls upon the U.S. to lead the United Nations in an integrated approach involving the private sector, the world market system, governments, NGO's, religious communities and grassroots organizations. This book is MUST reading for anyone looking for realistic and practical solutions to the world's gravest and cruelest injustice, malnutrition caused by poverty.
PEACE ON EARTH.......2002-04-27
In his simple prose and humble middle-American manner, former Senator George McGovern addresses one of humankind's moral imperatives: world hunger. It is a great tragedy that the majority of Americans are overweight (or have access to three square meals, at the least), while people across the globe -or even across the city- suffer from hunger.
Mr. McGovern presents five possible solutions that may mitigate the plight of millions, among these worldwide WIC and school lunches, an increase in the food stamp program, and a minimum wage increase. Unfortunately, many of these measures seem implausible, for the ironic reason of their political inviability; FEW Americans favor an increase in taxes, to say the least.
I found this book to be more than an overview of hunger's politics. It is a window into the soul of a great man. In truth, world hunger would be a fading memory were we like Mr. McGovern: compassionate and selfless.
Layman's Guide to Reduce Hunger.......2001-03-05
George McGovern, former senator from South Dakota, has written a compact, layman's guide, The Third Freedom, on the politics of hunger. McGovern, long-time workhorse of food and agriculture policies, makes the case for a 5-point program to end hunger. The book's biographical anecdotes are as compelling as the case he makes. The author, World War II bomber pilot and Democratic presidential nominee, draws upon experiences from the Great Depression to the Clinton administration. Along the way, the reader learns how McGovern's father, farmers, Franklin Roosevelt, Henry Wallace, John Kennedy, Maryknoll missionaries and Pope John XXIII infulenced his thinking.
In the 1960s, McGovern's origination and stewardship of food and agriculture policies led to programs that benefited the U.S. economy. In the new century, McGovern uses his national visibility and standing to propose fresh political remedies: food policies that favor women and children; universal school lunch; genetically modified crops; fresh water; and agricultural aid modeled on the Peace Corps. The author endorses government action, rooted in biblical teachings, to feed the hungry. While the book is short on documentation, it is long on policy. The title from Gary Hart's memoir of McGoven's ill-fated presidential bid, Right from the Start, may aptly sum up this new work.
The Moral Imperative and Necessary Direction to End Hunger!.......2001-01-03
Every caring person will be glad that she or he reads this book, because each of us can help eliminate world hunger in our lifetimes. The reference to the third freedom is to the idea of creating "freedom from want" that is found in FDR's famous speech about the four freedoms.
Senator McGovern has been close to the issue of hunger for many years, having first headed the Food for Peace program for President Kennedy and more recently working with the United Nations on food issues for President Clinton. In this book, he describes many of the lessons learned about allievating hunger in the United States and elsewhere around the world, the benefits from eliminating hunger, the barriers to making faster progress, the plans for making the next steps, and his proposal for eliminating world hunger for humans by 2015.
I remember hearing much about this subject in the 1960s, and especially recall the CBC special from 1968. Historically, American farmers had excess production that was hurting farm prices while people were hungry. During the Kennedy administration this was turned into a series of initiatives to reduce the surpluses to strengthen the prices and feed more people. Large gains were made in students attending school and in their academic performance through free school breakfasts and lunches for the poor.
What has happened since then? Well, the good news is that these and many other good ideas have been expanded around the world. The number of hungry people is still enormous, 800 million, but it is many fewer than 40 years ago. As Senator McGovern rightly points out, we now have the technology, expertise in food distribution, and financial resources to eliminate hunger for the final 800 million. All we lack is a focus on the issue, and the will to make a difference.
The U.S. contribution would be less than the cost of a building a B-2 bomber annually. It turns out that most people think that more than 10 percent of the Federal budget goes for foreign aid, and that is almost all food. Actually, foreign aid is less than 1 percent and most of that is armaments. In recent polls, over 70 percent of Americans favor ending world hunger. Throughout the last presidential campaign this issue got lost. That's a shame, because here is an area where we pretty much agree.
His proposal focuses on the following elements:
(1) Extend the school lunch program around the world (the bulk of the poor hungry are children, and this gets them to school and improves their ability to learn)
(2) Favor women and children in food distribution (because of their better use of the resources and the fact that this by-passes corruption the most) usually by providing the food at the schools for pick-up
(3) Create local food reserves around the world of the sort we have in the United States so that emergency food can be more readily available to respond to natural disasters and wars
(4) Train local farmers to be better at what they do and provide them with better technology, appropriate for their part of the world (especially better ways to irrigate that don't harm the soil)
(5) Support research into better agricultural practices, including biotechnology
(6) Reduce the arms made available to countries where on-going wars are likely since such wars cause much hunger
(7) Clean-up the water supplies to reduce disease at the same time, and eliminate the risk of future wars over water
(8) Further encourage democracies since they make avoiding famines a high priority.
One of the nasty surprises I got from reading the book is that despite world progress, hunger is growing again in the United States due to cut backs in food stamps and other programs aimed at hunger. If we have been making mistakes in this area, that's pretty bad . . . at a time of unprecedented prosperity and government surpluses.
I also hope that private companies and individuals will step up their efforts to take a hand in eliminating hunger. I suspect that the know-how of these individuals is probably even more valuable than their money and time.
I strongly encourage you to read this book. Write to your congressional leaders and to our new president about this subject.
Also, I suggest that if you can afford it, that you allocate $30 per person per year in your household for donations aimed at eliminating hunger. That's about what it would take. At least you would know you are doing your part, even if the rest of society sleeps. Ultimately, that's all any of us can be sure of, is that we have stood up and been counted.
This book should be shared. If you belong to a book reading group, I hope you will suggest it. I also ask that you give a copy to your spiritual advisor. This book could become the basis of some good projects for your house of worship.
Love thy brother as thyself.
Book Description
This practical action guide features the Breathe-Easy Plan-an 8-week program that puts you back in control of your life. The Plan features seven simple steps that show how to create an arsenal for relief, increase your resistance, adapt your home, and eat to beat allergies and asthma.
Average customer rating:
- Beautifully illustrated introduction to hunger issues
- an awakening to what most of us have never imagined
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Ending Hunger: An Idea Whose Time Has Come
The Hunger Project
Manufacturer: Praeger Paperback
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ASIN: 0275918092 |
Book Description
Not too long ago, only poets and dreamers imagined a world without hunger and starvation. Today, the world's expert community--scientists, agricultural specialists, development professionals, working with governments, the UN and private voluntary organizations--is united in its declaration that hunger can be eliminated from the face of our planet by the year 2000. Compiled by the Hunger Project--a non-profit group established in 1977--Ending Hunger: An Idea Whose Time Has Come is the definitive source and reference book to one of the greatest opportunities humanity has ever faced--the end of hunger by the end of the century. Written in response to a growing grassroots demand for up-to-date information about world hunger and how to end it, Ending Hunger brings together for the first time in one place the full range of expert thinking and approaches to eradicating humanity's oldest and most persistent enemy. A product of five years researchwithtthe essential information, facts and data they need to learn about how they can help to end hunger.
Customer Reviews:
Beautifully illustrated introduction to hunger issues.......2004-06-14
I was active in The Hunger Project (http://www.thp.org) when this "coffee table book" on world hunger was still just a dream - and back when we still expected to be able to end world hunger by the year 2000. It's a large glossy paperback that has wonderful photographs from around the world and makes a sincere effort to present the facts and issues of world hunger from a politically neutral perspective, giving equal weight to all major viewpoints. The text is as dry as the illustrations are lavish.
Its attempt to be fair, ironically, is the book's major shortcoming. World hunger is not a morally neutral, unfortunate situation that just happened, and not all viewpoints are equally valid.
Enjoy this book for the pictures, the information and - yes - to explore the various viewpoints from what attempts to be a neutral point of view. But to really find out about the underpinnings of world hunger, track down a used copy of Food First, by Frances Moore Lappe (now out of print, unfortunately).
The more modest Millennium Development Goals aim to halve world hunger by the year 2015, but world leaders still aren't acting like they mean it. However, a comparison of stats shows that infant mortality rates have been steadily going down in most hungry nations except those in Africa. In spite of all, the world may be making some progress toward ending hunger.
an awakening to what most of us have never imagined.......1999-08-20
where are the 1+ million people who took a stand on ending hunger on the planet today? Can their committment for creating a better world stand on the shoulders of the first group creating a fresh idea to make a difference. This book leads me to believe we can.
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