World Food Conference 1974

MAC/WFY

Page-148

0230_553559_15_cha11

148

197090. The World Food Crisis of the 1970s and its Aftermath

the scenes

Like an anthill that has received a sudden violent kick, the great

termitery of Planet Earth is all movement and confusion. But the discoveries are
real and the discussions of unprecedented urgency'.

She noted that in 1970, as in 1950, the wealthy `developed' markets still had

80 per cent control of the world's wealth for not more than a fifth of the
world's people. This relationship had to be grasped and understood for the world
was undoubtedly a market but was not `by any stretch of the imagination a
community'. Demand for food would rise steadily as the world population doubled
by the year 2010. But this would not all be `effective demand' as three quarters of
the increased demand would be among those with less than $200 a year and hence
barely entered the market. And on the supply side, there would be a tendency to
higher prices. Only North America had `any hope' of providing immediate food
surpluses on any scale as she put it: `Leave grain to an uncontrolled market and
only the rich will eat.' And, she noted, `they are over-eating now. To have obesity
a widespread disease in a starving world is itself a perversion of right order. "Grain
shekhs" we can all become, using our appetites to rig the market'.

Then, she added provocatively

If the human race cannot agree on food, on what can they agree? If the self-
proclaimed `Christians' countries of the West who pray, `Give us this day our
daily bread', are not prepared to give it to anyone else, they deserve the mockery
and collapse that follow upon too wide a breach between principle and practice.
If those who worship Allah, the all-Merciful, the all-Compassionate, do not
spontaneously help those whom their new wealth most depresses, they, too,
weaken the ultimate moral cement of their own societies. `The people of the
Book' who have monopoly control of what the world most needs bread and
energy are directly challenged to go beyond the idols of the market and to
create instead a moral community for all mankind.

It was not as though the route forward were `dark and unexplored'. In her view,

the `triple strategy' adopted by the World Food Conference the creation of a 10
million ton grain reserve, a longer-term buffer stock plan, and, `perhaps the most
vital element', an agricultural development fund `meets the main weaknesses
of the unmitigated market approach'. She regarded the chances of success `better
perhaps than one might fear', although the first meeting in 1975 of the WFC set up
to monitor implementation of the conference's resolutions and coordinated the
work of the concerned UN agencies `was a setback since the developed countries
committed themselves to little action and still seemed dedicated to the kind of
preponderance in controls they inherited from a recent colonial past'. But, in her
opinion, the seventh special session of the UN General Assembly held in September
1975 on development and international economic cooperation, which reaffirmed
`full support' for the resolutions of the World Food Conference (resolution 3362
(S-VII)), `marked a genuine step forward towards a constructive dialogue on all
points at issue', giving `more elbow-room for the poor' and `more dignity and
equality in devising policy'.

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Useful links	World Food Conference 1974 MAC/WFY Page-148 0230_553559_15_cha11 148 197090. The World Food Crisis of the 1970s and its Aftermath the scenes Like an anthill that has received a sudden violent kick, the great termitery of Planet Earth is all movement and confusion. But the discoveries are real and the discussions of unprecedented urgency'. She noted that in 1970, as in 1950, the wealthy `developed' markets still had 80 per cent control of the world's wealth for not more than a fifth of the world's people. This relationship had to be grasped and understood for the world was undoubtedly a market but was not `by any stretch of the imagination a community'. Demand for food would rise steadily as the world population doubled by the year 2010. But this would not all be `effective demand' as three quarters of the increased demand would be among those with less than $200 a year and hence barely entered the market. And on the supply side, there would be a tendency to higher prices. Only North America had `any hope' of providing immediate food surpluses on any scale as she put it: `Leave grain to an uncontrolled market and only the rich will eat.' And, she noted, `they are over-eating now. To have obesity a widespread disease in a starving world is itself a perversion of right order. "Grain shekhs" we can all become, using our appetites to rig the market'. Then, she added provocatively If the human race cannot agree on food, on what can they agree? If the self- proclaimed `Christians' countries of the West who pray, `Give us this day our daily bread', are not prepared to give it to anyone else, they deserve the mockery and collapse that follow upon too wide a breach between principle and practice. If those who worship Allah, the all-Merciful, the all-Compassionate, do not spontaneously help those whom their new wealth most depresses, they, too, weaken the ultimate moral cement of their own societies. `The people of the Book' who have monopoly control of what the world most needs bread and energy are directly challenged to go beyond the idols of the market and to create instead a moral community for all mankind. It was not as though the route forward were `dark and unexplored'. In her view, the `triple strategy' adopted by the World Food Conference the creation of a 10 million ton grain reserve, a longer-term buffer stock plan, and, `perhaps the most vital element', an agricultural development fund `meets the main weaknesses of the unmitigated market approach'. She regarded the chances of success `better perhaps than one might fear', although the first meeting in 1975 of the WFC set up to monitor implementation of the conference's resolutions and coordinated the work of the concerned UN agencies `was a setback since the developed countries committed themselves to little action and still seemed dedicated to the kind of preponderance in controls they inherited from a recent colonial past'. But, in her opinion, the seventh special session of the UN General Assembly held in September 1975 on development and international economic cooperation, which reaffirmed `full support' for the resolutions of the World Food Conference (resolution 3362 (S-VII)), `marked a genuine step forward towards a constructive dialogue on all points at issue', giving `more elbow-room for the poor' and `more dignity and equality in devising policy'. back to top Next page
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