World Food Crisis

I just signed an Avaaz petition to G8, UN and EU leaders regarding the world food crisis.

If you'd like to sign the petition too, here is the link:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/world_food_crisis/9.php

Before I followed that link and watched several of the videos on the Avaaz site, I had no idea that the crisis situation was so severe. I watched two videos, the one that comes up immediately when you follow the link, which has Sierra Leone's foreign minister, Zainab Bangura, who explains that 90% of the people in her country cannot afford the price of a bag of rice. A bag of rice!

Then I watched the second video which was a 10min interview with Raj Patel, the author of Stuffed and Starved - the hidden battle for the world food system. This interview was interesting yet scary (because of the issues we're facing) at the same time. I've decided to chase up his book after listening to him.

I encourage you to inform yourself on this issue, and sign Avaaz's petition if you support their position.

About Avaaz: (taken from their website)
Avaaz.org is an independent, not-for-profit global campaigning organization that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people inform global decision-making. (Avaaz means "voice" in many languages.) Avaaz receives no money from governments or corporations, and is staffed by a global team based in London, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Paris, Washington DC, and Geneva.

I support them because I think what they do is important and I believe they get results. Across the world, international decisions are often shaped by political agendas or unaccountable corporations rather than human rights, or sustainability considerations. Avaaz aims to close the gap between the world we have, and the world most people everywhere want, by being the "voice" of the people in the ear of global leaders. So when I agree with what Avaaz is campaigning for, I add my voice to theirs by signing their petition and telling others about it.

You can read more about Avaaz here

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And just for the record in case anyone's wondering, they don't spam you with emails, if you join their mailing list. I get roughly one or two per week from them about their campaigns.