Upload
jennifer-wilkins
View
213
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Annual Hunger Report of the BFWI:“Healthy Food, Farms and Families:Hunger 2007,” which can help us un-derstand the relationship between USFarm Policy, the global economy, andglobal hunger. Each annual hungerreport also includes tables of statistics re-lated to global hunger, poverty, nutrition,education, and economic development—all very educational.
For the nutrition educator whowants to understand more about thenature of global and domestic hungerand who wants to take political action,the BFW site is well worth a long visit.
Alison H. Harmon, PhD, RD, LN,Assistant Professor of Food and Nu-trition, Montana State University,Health and Human Development,119 PE Complex,Bozeman, MT 59717doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2007.09.006
Heifer International—Ending Hun-ger, Caring for the Earth. FromHeifer Project International, 1 WorldAvenue, Little Rock AR, USA72202. Web site, available at http://www.heifer.org. Accessed August 25,2007.
Heifer International—Ending Hun-ger, Caring for the Earth. This slogan is asimple and accurate summary of the workof this organization that has increased foodsecurity, through encouraging self-relianceand stewardship of communities and natu-ral resources throughout the world.
In the early 1940s when Heifer In-ternational founder Dan West came upwith the phrase “not a cup, but a cow,”he probably could not have foreseen thecontinued need and relevance of theorganization that grew from his initialmodest efforts to help hungry peoplebecome self-reliant. Heifer Internation-al’s approach to providing global assis-tance to struggling communities incountries all over the world is charac-terized by long-term development,
rather than short-term relief. The sim-ple idea of giving families a source offood rather than short-term reliefcaught on and has continued for over60 years. Today, millions of families in128 countries have been given the giftsof self-reliance and hope.
Heifer fulfills its mission to endhunger and poverty and to care for theearth by working within communitiesto empower people with the economicmeans—such as livestock, training, andother resources—to rebuild their fami-lies, their neighborhoods, and theirhope for sustainable futures. As peopleshare their animals’ offspring withothers—along with their knowledge, re-sources, and skills—an expanding net-work of hope, dignity, and self-relianceis created that reaches around the globe.
Self-reliance and sustainability offood-producing resources rather thandependence on aid are central to Heif-er’s work.
The Heifer International Website isappealing and easy to navigate. Thecontent is written in clear languagewith options for linking to expandedtext. The navigational topics—OurWork; Get Involved; Give; Learn; andInside Heifer—are intuitive and easy toexplore. When mousing over each ofthe main navigation buttons, subordi-nate menus pop up for easy preview andselection.
A quick exploration of the siteyields an understanding of the organiza-tion and its work and the impact of thatwork domestically and internationally.If you’re not in the mood to read, theOur Work section provides videos ofseveral international and domesticprojects, the headquarters, learning cen-ters, and public service announcements.One PSA enlists the star power ofHeifer supporters Ted Danson andMary Steenbergen, who co-chairedHeifer’s 60th Anniversary Gala.
A world map allows easy access todescriptions of Heifer projects and ac-tivities. The mouse-over brings up eachcountry’s name and a graphic of thenational flag, further reinforcing Heif-er’s commitment to education.
The site provides easy navigation,allowing viewers to quickly access infor-mation about the organization’s three
essential components: Livestock andother material goods; Training and ex-tension work; and Organizational de-velopment, which includes planning,management, record keeping, passingon the gift, reporting and evaluation.
Through its complementary andwonderfully playful website Readto Feed http://www.readtofeed.org/,Heifer invites children to learn aboutthe world beyond their schoolyards andcommunities and how they can helppoor people around the globe. Goingbeyond the home page (complete withmooing cows and orgling llamas), edu-cators can find educational programsand support materials to use in formaland nonformal settings.
The Heifer International websitestates the organization envisions “aworld of communities living together inpeace and equitably sharing the re-sources of a healthy planet.” The web-site provides powerful enticements to bea part of its important work.
Jennifer Wilkins, PhD, RD, Foodand Society Policy Fellow, Class IV,Senior Extension Associate, Divisionof Nutritional Sciences, 305 MVRHall, Cornell University, Ithaca,NY 14850doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2007.09.004
IFPRI—International Food PolicyResearch Institute: SustainableSolutions for Ending Hunger andPoverty. From International FoodPolicy Research Institute, 2033 KStreet, N.W., Washington, D.C.20006, U.S.A. Web site, availableat: http://www.ifpri.org. AccessedSeptember 10, 2007.
The International Food PolicyResearch Institute (IFPRI) Web site pro-vides an in-depth description of the Insti-tute’s activities along with results from ag-ricultural, nutrition and policyresearch. It provides links to the most recentdata available on the world food situationand possible sustainable solutions.
International policies, to date, havenot been able to provide food securityfor many areas of the world. Despiteimpressive progress in agricultural sci-ence and food production, malnutritionand micronutrient deficiencies remainthroughout the developing world. The
358 Reviews