President Obama and the Moral Imperative of Hunger

Last Friday, on May 18, 2012, President Obama addressed the Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security. Here's a brief quote from his speech:

“As President, I consider this a moral imperative. As the wealthiest nation on earth, I believe the United States has a moral obligation to lead the fight against hunger and malnutrition—and to partner with others. So we take pride in the fact that—because of smart investments in nutrition, agriculture and safety nets—millions of people in Kenya and Ethiopia did not need emergency aid in the recent drought. Still, when tens of thousands of children die from the agony of starvation, as in Somalia, that’s unacceptable. It’s an outrage.”

Our government's New Allianec for Food Security and Nutrition is a "shared commitment to achieve sustained and inclusive agricultural growth and raise 50 million people out of poverty over the next 10 years by aligning the commitments of Africa’s leadership to drive effective country plans and policies for food security; the commitments of private sector partners to increase investments where the conditions are right; and the commitments of the G-8 to expand Africa’s potential for rapid and sustainable agricultural growth."

Leaders have committed to making food security a priority in their individual countries, and plan to work toward raising 50 million people out of poverty over the next 10 years.