Growth in world population does not lead to more hunger, says FAO director
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Vatican City, Oct 14, 2009 / 01:29 pm (CNA).- During his remarks at the Synod of Bishops of Africa taking place at the Vatican, the Director of the United Nations Organization for Food and Agriculture (FAO), Jacques Diouf, rejected the myth that the increase in hunger is directly related to the increase in world population.
 
In an interview with L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican’s Permanent Observer at the FAO, Archbishop Renato Volante, said Diouf made his remarks in response to a question posed to him by the synod fathers.
 
Archbishop Volante said this myth is “certainly a false problem.”
 
Already in 1996, he reminded, John Paul II clearly pointed out: “It would an illusion to think that an arbitrary stabilization of world population could directly resolve the problem of hunger.”
 
Thus, Archbishop Volante said, “Mr. Diouf clearly and synthetically repeated the same concept: it is not the amount of people that creates hunger in the world.”
 
What creates hunger, he said, “is the lack of water, the differences between an opulent world that throws food away, and a poor world that has no food; it is the scandal of the destruction of food in rich countries that cannot be donated to countries suffering from hunger because of legal reasons.”
 
These “are the elements that create hunger in the world, and not the population,” Archbishop Volante said.  “And these elements must often be attributed to the lack of solidarity and to the selfishness of many of us.”

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Subscriber comments:
Published by: JeanCatherine
USA 01/02/2010 11:10 AM EST
I see one doesnt believe in the built in plan that Mother Nature has for her own planet? Do you think that this Universe doesnt have a scientific/mathematical plan on how it populates the universe? Man is only a silly speck in the Universe. What is in play in the Universe is bigger than man. Im sure that the population will get taken care of in a natural fashion. Im sure that Natural Family Planning that has been more modernized can help as well.
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Published by: Elias
Canada 10/16/2009 01:02 PM EST
The population of India around 1949 was approximately 350 million and Bangladash was part of India untill they became independent. Today India's population is over a billion people, the fact that it is very expensive to buy contraceptives in a country where people earn a few dollars a month so that the birth rate is extremely high and accordingly there are many mouths to feed, and hunger and starvation results as a consequence.
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Published by: Mafumbo Mary
Kampala Uganda 10/16/2009 04:58 AM EST
The Creator of this World gave us authority to multply and fill the earth (Gen 1;28+), The world is controlled by a few powerful being that is why we suffer.too much beurocracy, selfishness and hunger for power over everything.I cannot even visit my friend in Congo who have food and water unless i paycustoms duties! Can you imagine?
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Published by: John Balmer
New Zealand 10/15/2009 09:51 PM EST
Someone should have told God of the serious implications of telling Adam and Eve to "increse and multiply, and fill the earth." Fear of overpopulation has been around for 100's of years. Many dedicated people feel that we'd better abort many more babies or there won't be room on earth for their many beloved animals. Of course there's some truth in many of the earlier comments; evil and greedy use of resources is part of fallen human nature. Western Christians are well below replacement levels, while Moslems are about 10 times higher. They obviously have more faith in Allah than many Christians have in God's Providence.
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Published by: tonyisnt
USA 10/15/2009 06:11 PM EST
Of course, because at the moment We're growing more food to grow more people.
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Published by: Ronald Morrow
Valrico, Fl 10/15/2009 10:03 AM EST
Although elements do play a role creating hunger in the world you still cannot rule out the impact that population plays in the scheme of things. As nations grow so does the need for food,water and any other resources that are needed to sustain that nation. True we waste more then we use, abuse the environment and are often selfish in not sharing our resources. The time is coming when wealthy nations will begin to experience the same levels of poverty, hunger and lack of water as the poorest nations. When that happens then the sharing of food, etc will diminish and more lives will be lost. True several projects are in the offering via technology, humanitarian aid and donations. But the countries that are in desparate need are often hampered because of infighting, corruption and ethnic wars. Even these events have a tremendous impact on feeding and providing help to those who are starving, etc. So in essence what is the answer?
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Published by: Chris Moffatt
Topping, VA, USA 10/15/2009 07:54 AM EST
This is unfortunately incorrect. The "opulent" West donates large amounts of food aid to hungry nations every day. In some nations there is a food crisis which is the result of internal wars and genocides which create conditions under which distribution of food is impossible. Other nations have governments so corrupt that donated food and other items are stolen or withheld or sold to the poor and hungry. Many nations coud do much more to feed themselves if the conditions of grave insecurity were eliminated. But do not blame the "opulent" West Put the blame where it belongs on greedy, incompetent, violent "leaders" in the third world.
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Published by: Brian Jordan
England 10/15/2009 06:17 AM EST
And if the population increased tenfold? And another tenfold? Is there no limit at all to the sustainable population of the planet? Even when the heaving mass of people is expanding at the speed of light? There, reduced to absurdity. Not that the claim wasn't absurd to start with.
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Published by: John
England 10/15/2009 04:39 AM EST
Of course the world isn't overpopulated. It has always been a myth by the eugenicists and radicals to control our lives. The problem is that these nihilists would appear to be winning - abortions for all, euthanasia on demand, designer babies etc. All these practices are designed to control the population.
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