Abdoul-Wahab Bizo
Should Americans Rely On Food Assistance For Living ?
On Monday, October 31, 2011, our planet Earth welcomed its seven billionth person. That number has launched a powerful polemic. In fact, overpopulation was the center of discussion for many specialists (economists, physicians, scientists) such as Paul Ehrlich who “predicted” in his book published in 1968, The Population Bomb, that people on Earth would outrun the food supply and suggested that population should be limited (even reduced); in fact, hunger has landed on the U.S. soil. However, a biologist named Norman Borlaug has proved that human beings are not only consumers, but also producers and confirmed that accessibility to food was the major cause of hunger. In fact, as we learn in the documentary A Place at the Table, 25 million people live on food desert (which is a geographic area where affordable and nutritious food is difficult to obtain, particularly for those without access to an automobile Food deserts usually exist in rural areas and low-income communities). However, I will be showing that accessibility to food and people’s life decisions can lead them to hunger.
Assistance programs are not always the best solution to eradicate hunger, especially in America. One reason why I do think that America shouldn't provide more funding for SNAP is that people, by abusing the system, are going against the development of a country. In another word, because of the government’s support in these matters, some people are relying only on food assistance for living and do not even try to make an effort in searching an alternative way to feed themselves (some people might call this laziness.) In fact, one man has proved to the world that human beings were minds to cultivate. Indeed, Norman Borlaug is considered as the father of green revolution. He has proved that technology is one solution to avoid starvation that could be imposed on the human race. Norman Borlaug’s scientific work helped countries such as Mexico and Ghana to increase their food production. In fact, he has helped these poor nations by introducing high-yield varieties of rice and wheat. Technology has helped people in producing more food and Borlaug has proved that we’re now able to grow (or cultivate) more food on less land. Which can be a solution to make food more accessible in some areas. Also, according to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States): “the world currently produces enough food for everybody, but many people do not have access to it.” Also, the WFP (World Food Program) support the same idea by saying: “There is enough food in the world today for everyone to have the nourishment necessary for a healthy and productive life.”
But, I do agree that the government has a role to play in this matter; for example by providing free food to homeless people and by helping them get back on their feet. But I do not agree on the fact that the government should be responsible at 100%.
However, some people’s life decisions can lead them to hunger and early pregnancy is unfortunately one of these decisions. I will be giving examples inspired from the documentary A Place at the Table. In most cases, single mothers are the ones who are the most affected by the issues of Hunger. In fact, studies have shown that poverty is one of the main problems that most single-parent children suffer from. Unlike children living with a regular family, single-parent children usually have only one parent to provide income (Family and Community). Without the support of their husbands, single mothers face a difficult challenge in maintaining a stable economy for their family. These mothers have limited financial sources and cannot easily afford to cover their children’s education, childcare, and health care costs. I noticed that these studies illustrate exactly Barbie’s life in the documentary A Place at the Table. In fact, from the beginning to the end of the documentary, we don’t talk about Barbie’s husband. In fact, we can suppose that Barbie, like million of others, is a young woman with already two children without even getting married. I wouldn’t blame the government because Barbie got into that situation by herself and she would have to take full responsibility of her actions.
Plus, if the government provides more funding to SNAP, it's you and I, (taxpayers) who will have to pay for these funding. This could result in an increase in our tax payments. I do think that to overcome food insecurity and starving in America, the U.S. government will need to reduce the price of food to make it more accessible to the population. Therefore, Corporate and the Government need to work together to create solutions that will make food easier to access, especially for poor people (homeless, low- and no-income people living in the country and people living on food desert.)
To conclude, I don't think that Americans are starving. Compared to some continents around the world (Africa or Asia), people are starving to death and Governments are not moving one finger to help their population, even when the country is rich. Therefore, more funding to SNAP is not the solution to eradicate hunger. For these reasons, I do think that Americans are not really starving. Therefore, I think that Americans shouldn't only rely on charities to feed the hungry people because more funding for the food assistance will only help but not eradicate. In fact, people shouldn’t just consume, but they should also produce.
Should Americans Rely On Food Assistance For Living ?
On Monday, October 31, 2011, our planet Earth welcomed its seven billionth person. That number has launched a powerful polemic. In fact, overpopulation was the center of discussion for many specialists (economists, physicians, scientists) such as Paul Ehrlich who “predicted” in his book published in 1968, The Population Bomb, that people on Earth would outrun the food supply and suggested that population should be limited (even reduced); in fact, hunger has landed on the U.S. soil. However, a biologist named Norman Borlaug has proved that human beings are not only consumers, but also producers and confirmed that accessibility to food was the major cause of hunger. In fact, as we learn in the documentary A Place at the Table, 25 million people live on food desert (which is a geographic area where affordable and nutritious food is difficult to obtain, particularly for those without access to an automobile Food deserts usually exist in rural areas and low-income communities). However, I will be showing that accessibility to food and people’s life decisions can lead them to hunger.
Assistance programs are not always the best solution to eradicate hunger, especially in America. One reason why I do think that America shouldn't provide more funding for SNAP is that people, by abusing the system, are going against the development of a country. In another word, because of the government’s support in these matters, some people are relying only on food assistance for living and do not even try to make an effort in searching an alternative way to feed themselves (some people might call this laziness.) In fact, one man has proved to the world that human beings were minds to cultivate. Indeed, Norman Borlaug is considered as the father of green revolution. He has proved that technology is one solution to avoid starvation that could be imposed on the human race. Norman Borlaug’s scientific work helped countries such as Mexico and Ghana to increase their food production. In fact, he has helped these poor nations by introducing high-yield varieties of rice and wheat. Technology has helped people in producing more food and Borlaug has proved that we’re now able to grow (or cultivate) more food on less land. Which can be a solution to make food more accessible in some areas. Also, according to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States): “the world currently produces enough food for everybody, but many people do not have access to it.” Also, the WFP (World Food Program) support the same idea by saying: “There is enough food in the world today for everyone to have the nourishment necessary for a healthy and productive life.”
But, I do agree that the government has a role to play in this matter; for example by providing free food to homeless people and by helping them get back on their feet. But I do not agree on the fact that the government should be responsible at 100%.
However, some people’s life decisions can lead them to hunger and early pregnancy is unfortunately one of these decisions. I will be giving examples inspired from the documentary A Place at the Table. In most cases, single mothers are the ones who are the most affected by the issues of Hunger. In fact, studies have shown that poverty is one of the main problems that most single-parent children suffer from. Unlike children living with a regular family, single-parent children usually have only one parent to provide income (Family and Community). Without the support of their husbands, single mothers face a difficult challenge in maintaining a stable economy for their family. These mothers have limited financial sources and cannot easily afford to cover their children’s education, childcare, and health care costs. I noticed that these studies illustrate exactly Barbie’s life in the documentary A Place at the Table. In fact, from the beginning to the end of the documentary, we don’t talk about Barbie’s husband. In fact, we can suppose that Barbie, like million of others, is a young woman with already two children without even getting married. I wouldn’t blame the government because Barbie got into that situation by herself and she would have to take full responsibility of her actions.
Plus, if the government provides more funding to SNAP, it's you and I, (taxpayers) who will have to pay for these funding. This could result in an increase in our tax payments. I do think that to overcome food insecurity and starving in America, the U.S. government will need to reduce the price of food to make it more accessible to the population. Therefore, Corporate and the Government need to work together to create solutions that will make food easier to access, especially for poor people (homeless, low- and no-income people living in the country and people living on food desert.)
To conclude, I don't think that Americans are starving. Compared to some continents around the world (Africa or Asia), people are starving to death and Governments are not moving one finger to help their population, even when the country is rich. Therefore, more funding to SNAP is not the solution to eradicate hunger. For these reasons, I do think that Americans are not really starving. Therefore, I think that Americans shouldn't only rely on charities to feed the hungry people because more funding for the food assistance will only help but not eradicate. In fact, people shouldn’t just consume, but they should also produce.
Can we now talk about Hunger in America?