Betting on Famine: Why the World Still Goes Hungry
"During his 2000–2008 tenure as U.N. special rapporteur on the right to food, Ziegler . . . traveled worldwide to understand hunger and the international policies that he believes cause it (including those that promote the use of crops for biofuels). In this devastating book, he describes the horrors of food insecurity, the callousness of 'crusaders of neoliberalism' who control food and land access, and the individuals and grassroots organizations fighting for subsistence farmers and the right to food. Interspersed with statistics and policy critiques are vivid depictions of victims of this crisis, giving readers a visceral sense of the reality of the 'mass destruction' caused by hunger and malnutrition."—Publishers Weekly(starred review)"An impassioned and highly readable account of a major tragedy of our time. Ziegler brings together singular expertise and years of on-the-ground testimony in a pointed analysis that we can ignore only at our collective peril."—Maude Barlow, chair of the Council of Canadians and author ofBlue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Fight for the Right to Water"Ziegler puts the desperation, sadness, and outrage of continuing hunger and malnutrition into the bright light of day—and, in doing so, underscores the absolute insanity of the biofuel scam and the notion that we should be burning food to make motor fuel. This book is Ziegler’s cri de coeur. It deserves attention. Even more, it demands action."—Robert Bryce, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and author ofPower Hungry: The Myths of Green Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future"Betting on Famineis the seminal book on global poverty and hunger. . . . Ziegler’s compelling narrative, much of it based on firsthand experience, tells the heartbreaking and gripping story of how rapacious speculators and complicit bureaucrats are starving a billion people. . . . A persuasive call to action."—Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch and author ofFoodopoly: The Battle Over the Future of Food and Farming in America"Passionate, well-researched, objective, and illuminating. . . . When we close this book, indignant, we know that those who die of hunger are victims of money and power."—L’Express"Complex and rich. . . . In a learned and enticing manner, [Ziegler] intertwines timely data and observations of the terrain with illuminating descriptions of the inner workings of international organizations."—Le Temps