183
waste is a significant issue. It is estimated that between 25% and 30% of all harvested food is wasted either through cultivation, transportation, processing, and
consumer plate waste. Managing and reducing food waste can go a long way to
closing the food gap between agricultural production and population
consumption.
2
7.3 The Long History of Hunger Relief
Charity and feeding the hungry have always been part of human society. It was first
referenced in biblical times in both Christian and Jewish scriptures.
3
Throughout
history hunger relief was a localized event focused on the less fortunate members of
a community. As civilization evolved, the task of feeding the poor migrated from
communities to churches and religious organizations and then to larger-scale government institutions. In the Ottoman Empire, the development of public soup kitchens – which handed out free food to the needy in a combination of patronage,
hospitality, and charity – and food banks evolved in collaboration with the churches
(Cohen 2005).
Another example of community outreach on a global scale occurred in 1847,
during the height of the Irish Potato Famine; a Choctaw community in Oklahoma,
USA, who had been forcibly removed from their ancestral land during what came
to be known as “The Trail of Tears,” pooled its money to help feed starving families
across the Atlantic, raising $170 ($5,000 in today’s currency) to donate to the people
of Ireland. In 2015, Ireland erected a monument called Kindred Spirits to pay tribute
to the Choctaw people’s generosity. Irish schools still use this history lesson to teach
the spirit of true selflessness.
4
After World War I, large-scale, government-state-funded hunger relief became
more prevalent as shipments of foodstuffs were organized to feed the needs of refugees and inhabitants of war-torn regions. Federal food assistance programs arose
during the Great Depression when excess wheat production was diverted to feed the
poor and less fortunate peoples in the United States.
5
In the 1940s, the newly established United Nations (UN) became a leading player in coordinating the global fight
against hunger. The UN has three independent agencies that work to promote food
security and agricultural development. The first, the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), created in 1943, is a specialized food and agriculture agency
tasked with eliminating hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition; reducing rural
poverty; enabling more efficient food systems; increasing resilience to disasters;
2 http://www.fao.org/tempref/docrep/fao/meeting/018/k6021e.pdf
3 https://www.nationalgeographic.com/foodfeatures/feeding-9-billion/
4 https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/choctaw-generosity-to-famine-irelandsaluted-by-varadkar-1.3424542
5 http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:8846747
7 Innovation and the Quest to Feed the World
waste is a significant issue. It is estimated that between 25% and 30% of all harvested food is wasted either through cultivation, transportation, processing, and
consumer plate waste. Managing and reducing food waste can go a long way to
closing the food gap between agricultural production and population
consumption.
2
7.3 The Long History of Hunger Relief
Charity and feeding the hungry have always been part of human society. It was first
referenced in biblical times in both Christian and Jewish scriptures.
3
Throughout
history hunger relief was a localized event focused on the less fortunate members of
a community. As civilization evolved, the task of feeding the poor migrated from
communities to churches and religious organizations and then to larger-scale government institutions. In the Ottoman Empire, the development of public soup kitchens – which handed out free food to the needy in a combination of patronage,
hospitality, and charity – and food banks evolved in collaboration with the churches
(Cohen 2005).
Another example of community outreach on a global scale occurred in 1847,
during the height of the Irish Potato Famine; a Choctaw community in Oklahoma,
USA, who had been forcibly removed from their ancestral land during what came
to be known as “The Trail of Tears,” pooled its money to help feed starving families
across the Atlantic, raising $170 ($5,000 in today’s currency) to donate to the people
of Ireland. In 2015, Ireland erected a monument called Kindred Spirits to pay tribute
to the Choctaw people’s generosity. Irish schools still use this history lesson to teach
the spirit of true selflessness.
4
After World War I, large-scale, government-state-funded hunger relief became
more prevalent as shipments of foodstuffs were organized to feed the needs of refugees and inhabitants of war-torn regions. Federal food assistance programs arose
during the Great Depression when excess wheat production was diverted to feed the
poor and less fortunate peoples in the United States.
5
In the 1940s, the newly established United Nations (UN) became a leading player in coordinating the global fight
against hunger. The UN has three independent agencies that work to promote food
security and agricultural development. The first, the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), created in 1943, is a specialized food and agriculture agency
tasked with eliminating hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition; reducing rural
poverty; enabling more efficient food systems; increasing resilience to disasters;
2 http://www.fao.org/tempref/docrep/fao/meeting/018/k6021e.pdf
3 https://www.nationalgeographic.com/foodfeatures/feeding-9-billion/
4 https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/choctaw-generosity-to-famine-irelandsaluted-by-varadkar-1.3424542
5 http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:8846747
7 Innovation and the Quest to Feed the World