This is a quote taken from Jose Graziano de Silva’s submission program – who has now taken the office of Director General in the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
“During its 65 years of life, FAO can claim to have contributed to a remarkable growth in food output. Average per capita food availability has risen by 40%. Enough food is now being produced to meet the needs of all of the world’s population that has risen in the past 65 years from 2.5 billion to almost 7 billion.
This success in expanding food output, however, has not been enough to overcome hunger. One in seven people in the world – almost one billion people – face hunger every day of their lives, and almost 3 billion more are affected by malnutrition, including health-damaging malnutrition caused by over-consumption of food. In other words, over half of the world’s population suffers from not eating properly. People are hungry, not so much because of lack of food availability, but mainly because they cannot afford the food they need for a healthy and productive life.”
The statement is clear: there is enough food for everyone – but everyone doesn’t have enough money to buy food.
The solutions in Graziano’s program indicate that he is not considering a change in the economic system as a way to change this situation.
So, I will place some perspectives here for anyone involved in governments, NGO’s or international organizations, that should by now be part of your consideration. The points I will discuss are the Basic Income Grant (BIG) and the Equal Money System (EMS).
Simplistically, BIG is a system based on redistribution of money – where the redistribution is done within the bounds and parameters of the current economic and monetary system. Under the BIG system every person in the world has the right to a basic unconditional income to cover all their basic needs. As can be seen from the quote taken from Graziano’s program – (“People are hungry, not so much because of lack of food availability, but mainly because they cannot afford the food they need for a healthy and productive life.”) – this would in effect give everyone access to food and end hunger in the world.
The decision to implement such a social program – would be a political matter that requires world consensus. Yet, with half the world already being malnourished, it will not be too hard to find a majority who will demand equal access to basic needs, through a BIG system.
An Equal Money system goes completely beyond that – and involves a total transformation of social, political, and economic structures. Here the monetary system itself is replaced with a new monetary system – where money is no longer based on debt – but is simply made available as an abundant resource so that any project that is best for all can always be ‘sponsored’. Under Equal Money every person in the world is supported from birth till death – to never in their life experience any form of deprivation.
These are practically feasible solutions for this world one should investigate – if one is really serious about creating a better world for All.
It should be clear by now that within the bounds of the current economic system – there will not be any change forthcoming that can stand the test of time. Hence why we propose that BIG should be used as a means to transition towards an EMS. The collapse of the current economic system is inevitable and world hunger will only escalate as long as one try and find solutions while trying to honor this system. With half the world being malnourished – we can say the current system is a holocaust and should therefore no be honored.
I suggest one investigate BIG and EMS in considerable depth – you may be astounded at the simplicity of it all, and how come you never even heard about it.
Gabriel Zamora Moreno
Equal Money for All 