Race against the hunger

Today 800 millions of people suffer hunger in the world, 2 billion suffer food deficiencies, nearly 3 billion live with 1 euro per day.We can’t imagine the consequences in 2050, when the world population reaches 9 billion people.
Four multinationals share 90% of the agro-chemical industries’ world trade, weed killers, pesticides and seeds’owners. And to fight hunger is not really part of their aims.
Meanwhile, the countries of the OCDE (the richest nations) devote each year 350 billion euros to the agricultural subsidies which unbalance the world market. At the same time, they pour 8 billion euros to support agriculture in the developing countries.

Which are the solutions?

- To improve the outputs by using more chemicals, but we are already saturated.
- To reduce our meat consumption (10 kilos of fodder are necessary to the production of one kilo of meat).
- It could be a solution but the world bank anticipates on the contrary that the world meat consumption will increase by 50% from today until 2020.
- To clear tropical forests... it’s already in progress for the cereal plantation of industrial use (to manufacture 50 litres of agro-diesel it is necessary to burn 232kg corn and with that a Zambian or Mexican child can live one year.)
- The solutions suggested today are not ready for use to solve the problem, on the contrary... and we do not take the enormous environmental risks into account
-
- What can we do?
- It is not only what we produce which will determine the future of the agriculture, but also what we consume.
- It is our consumer behaviour which contributes to guide the evolution of our society। Because our purchases are at the origin of modes of production.- Can we deplore hunger in the world but not use our consumer capacity to fight against social injustice?
- Can we denounce the unceasingly increasing CO2 emissions?

Although, the fight against hunger in the world is not our responsibility, we cannot remain passive with 24,000 dead people per day.

The situation is more than urgent in several countries: 38 of 53 African countries have to import food to be able to fill up their food structural deficit and in front of the explosion in prices they can’t buy the bare essentials. We, pupils of the Lycée Français de Bilbao, have decided to mobilize and to take part in the race against hunger; the 12th race will take place on May 16th, 2008. Last year we already took part in this race, which allowed us to collect 9,000 Euros, which were later sent to Burundi.
This year we have decided to reach at least to 15,000 Euros and we have to find up the way.
Among the ideas to develop
Massive participation.
Make other schools take part as well.
To transform the race into a real party.
To avoid waste and to suggest this day as the day of sustainable development.
But first of all, to understand this serious problem better, to be able to tell others about it and at the same time to motivate them to take part with us or to help us financially, it is important and essential to make a consciousness raising campaign.
Wide program and of course, it is urgent!
A meeting will take place very soon between the direction of our school and the tutors. During this meeting I am going to suggest the creation of a commission of pupils, because I think that this initiative has to be transformed into a " youth action".
All your ideas are welcome and this is this blog’s aim.
Marta Smith et Claudia Ortuondo