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Betting on Famine: Why the World Still Goes Hungry
by
Few know that world hunger was very nearly eradicated in our lifetimes. In the past five years, however, widespread starvation has suddenly reappeared, and chronic hunger is a major issue on every continent.
In an extensive investigation of this disturbing shift, Jean Ziegler—one of the world’s leading food experts—lays out in clear and accessible terms the complex global ...more
In an extensive investigation of this disturbing shift, Jean Ziegler—one of the world’s leading food experts—lays out in clear and accessible terms the complex global ...more
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Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
August 6th 2013
by The New Press
(first published October 13th 2011)
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Start your review of Betting on Famine: Why the World Still Goes Hungry
ENGLISH
To whom the Swiss critic of globalization should not yet be familiar, this essential compulsory reading is highly recommended.
It should be noted in advance that I will repeat the first two paragraphs and the last paragraph in this and all other reviews to Ziegler books. This is because the books are composed of small, not always coherent short chapters that do not give an overall organic picture. Therefore, and because I consider the proven facts to be crucial and noteworthy, I have deci ...more
To whom the Swiss critic of globalization should not yet be familiar, this essential compulsory reading is highly recommended.
It should be noted in advance that I will repeat the first two paragraphs and the last paragraph in this and all other reviews to Ziegler books. This is because the books are composed of small, not always coherent short chapters that do not give an overall organic picture. Therefore, and because I consider the proven facts to be crucial and noteworthy, I have deci ...more
It is hard to find the right words to describe this book. Ziegler does not hold back in naming and shaming the people and corporations responsible for the majority of world hunger. To understand the complicity of governments and the world financial community in the starvation of millions is to really have the blindfold taken off. I now know that every 5 seconds a child in the world dies of hunger. I also now know that taxing the richest 1300 people in the world 2% could save every single one of
...more
I think this is a very important read.
Dirán que si subo a las redes sociales una foto de un niño desnutrido para denunciar el hambre en el mundo, ésta sea innecesaria, que ya se sabe que hay hambre en el mundo, que no hace falta ser tan explícito. La verdad es que no dudo de que se sepa que hay hambre, pero ¿se sabe el por qué? Acabo de terminar el libro 'Destrucción masiva: Geopolítica del hambre' de Jean Ziegler, quien fue Relator Especial de ONU para el Derecho a la Alimentación entre 2000 y 2008, y considero que este sistema est
...more
This is one of those incredibly important books that not enough people will read.
Ziegler will tell a blunt but heartfelt story (what I mean to say is there is no cliché tugging at heartstrings, the anecdotes are crushing without any need for pandering) and then provide the numbers and quotations. The latter is likely where some of the reviews talking about the dryness of the writing comes from. Truthfully I don't see it. I found it very readable, if straight-laced.
There are a couple graphs, a f ...more
Ziegler will tell a blunt but heartfelt story (what I mean to say is there is no cliché tugging at heartstrings, the anecdotes are crushing without any need for pandering) and then provide the numbers and quotations. The latter is likely where some of the reviews talking about the dryness of the writing comes from. Truthfully I don't see it. I found it very readable, if straight-laced.
There are a couple graphs, a f ...more
Feb 19, 2022
G.I.S.T.
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
gesellschaft,
wirtschaft-ökonomie
Dieses Buch übertrifft wirklich alle Erwartungen.
„Wir lassen sie Verhungern“ ist ein typischer Ziegler. Wer ihn in schon mal in einer Talkshow gesehen hat, der weiß, wovon ich rede. Man erwartet beim Lesen viel Dogmatismus, Populismus, Polemik, Angst, indifferente Analysen, verdrehte Tatsachen und alterative Fakten. Aber so viel von allem auf einmal hätte ich dann doch nicht für möglich gehalten.
Vom Titel her könnte man meinen, dass Ziegler erklärt, wie u. a. das Fiat-Geld System globale Megakon ...more
„Wir lassen sie Verhungern“ ist ein typischer Ziegler. Wer ihn in schon mal in einer Talkshow gesehen hat, der weiß, wovon ich rede. Man erwartet beim Lesen viel Dogmatismus, Populismus, Polemik, Angst, indifferente Analysen, verdrehte Tatsachen und alterative Fakten. Aber so viel von allem auf einmal hätte ich dann doch nicht für möglich gehalten.
Vom Titel her könnte man meinen, dass Ziegler erklärt, wie u. a. das Fiat-Geld System globale Megakon ...more
Une lecture bouleversante mais nécessaire pour prendre conscience de la gravité de la situation alimentaire de millions de personnes dans le monde aujourd’hui.
C’est un cri d’alarme pour réveiller nos consciences.
Jean Ziegler habilement pointe la responsabilité dans ces tragédies humaines: celles des conglomérats agro-alimentaires mais également des organismes internationaux tels que l’OMS,le FMI ou la BANQUE MONDIALE; sans oublier les gouvernements corrompus dans beaucoup de pays du sud et la ...more
C’est un cri d’alarme pour réveiller nos consciences.
Jean Ziegler habilement pointe la responsabilité dans ces tragédies humaines: celles des conglomérats agro-alimentaires mais également des organismes internationaux tels que l’OMS,le FMI ou la BANQUE MONDIALE; sans oublier les gouvernements corrompus dans beaucoup de pays du sud et la ...more
This is a bit of a strange book; part essay collection, part non-fiction, and part memoir. I couldn't help but feel the book is in dire need of an editor. Its not that Ziegler doesn't have interesting observations, but they are wandering and disorganized, jumping haphazardly between subjects and chronology, and many anecdotes that don't always seem relevant. I almost wish this was just a memoir on the subject of his interest, because I don't doubt that he would have interesting observations base
...more
It is not the state that restricts
* what should be cultivated
* where should be cultivated
* how should be cultivated
* whom should cultivate
* with what should cultivate
* at what wage should cultivate
* who can buy
* who can sell
* at what price can be sold
* who can transport
* in what conditions the food should be transported
but the evil masons / iluminati / capitalists / Jews / something.
* what should be cultivated
* where should be cultivated
* how should be cultivated
* whom should cultivate
* with what should cultivate
* at what wage should cultivate
* who can buy
* who can sell
* at what price can be sold
* who can transport
* in what conditions the food should be transported
but the evil masons / iluminati / capitalists / Jews / something.
De bonnes critiques en particulier à l’encontre des bio carburants mais dans l’ensemble une sur critique qui ne reconnaît nul part les progrès accomplis dans la lutte contre la malnutrition. On pourrait faire beaucoup mieux, c’est sûr mais l’impression reste celle d’un livre écrit à fleur de peau, qui ne propose au final pas vraiment de solutions sinon celle de se battre contre l’égoïsme.
Sep 07, 2018
Monica Madrigal Beckford
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favoritos
Este libro debería ser de lectura obligatoria para todos los que vivimos en “occidente”. Como gracias a nuestros gobiernos y nuestro “querido” libre mercado de condena a miles de personas a pasar hambre, a morir de hambre.
Enlightening. Dense
I found this very disturbing, that we were ending famine, but then global forces found a way to profit off human misery.....This book is very detailed and supplies the facts to support it.
Je savais qu'en m'attaquant à ce livre je m'exposais à un sujet douleureux et déprimant. Je me suis donc dit que les vacances étaient le moment opportun pour le lire et contrebalancer la sinistrose qui accompagne sa lecture! Même préparer et même dans les meilleures conditions possibles, cette lecture ne peut laisser de marbre!
Cette seconde lecture de Jean Ziegler, après la haine de l'occident, m'a consterné et révolté. Il commence par une première partie classiquement en définissant ce qu'est l ...more
Cette seconde lecture de Jean Ziegler, après la haine de l'occident, m'a consterné et révolté. Il commence par une première partie classiquement en définissant ce qu'est l ...more
In a recent announcement, the United Nations proudly reported that world hunger had decreased. However, their statistics failed to note that every five seconds, a child dies of starvation. Jean Ziegler exposes details about the far-reaching effects of hunger that have been unrecognized by the global population.
Political unrest in many parts of the world is only one of the problems. Afraid that relief could fall into the wrong hands, governments have placed sanctions on imports that could allevia ...more
Political unrest in many parts of the world is only one of the problems. Afraid that relief could fall into the wrong hands, governments have placed sanctions on imports that could allevia ...more
Betting on Famine: Why the World Still Goes Hungry is a nonfiction novel brilliantly written by Jean Ziegler, a worldwide leading food expert. He outlines how an outburst of starvation and and worldwide food insecurity changes from growing food to growing fuel. He describes in layman terms the complex global causes of the recent hunger crisis; the government’s support to the production of bio-fuels contributes to world hunger. In the book it states, “The tank of a mid sized car holds roughly thi
...more
Der Hunger auf der Welt ist ein riesiges Problem, das gerade in unseren Gebieten schnell ausgeblendet wird. In den Erst Welt Ländern leben wir im Luxus, werfen Nahrung weg und werden Fett. Wenige hunderte Kilometer weiter aber verenden Kinder, Erwachsene und ganze Bevölkerungen wegen Mangel an Nahrungsmittel. Jean Ziegler, erster UN-Sonderberichterstatter für das Recht auf Nahrung, bricht als einer der Wenigen das Schweigen und zeigt in diesem Buch die aktuellen Zustände auf.
"Wir lassen sie verh ...more
"Wir lassen sie verh ...more
Jean Ziegler parvient à expliquer de façon très imagée les causes, et surtout les conséquences de la faim dans le monde. Son discours est constitué d'anecdotes, et il bâtit ses arguments avec un bel équilibre de séquences descriptives/parfois émotives, et de séquences factuelles basées sur des statistiques fiables.
Les aspects du livre que j'ai le plus appréciés:
1. L'explication et l'utilisation de termes précis pour définir la faim (faim structurelle vs faim conjoncturelle, par exemple), ce qui ...more
Les aspects du livre que j'ai le plus appréciés:
1. L'explication et l'utilisation de termes précis pour définir la faim (faim structurelle vs faim conjoncturelle, par exemple), ce qui ...more
Hunger is a problem we can solve. The nations, banks and multinational are the cause of hunger. We have enough food to feed everybody in the world. Each kid dying of hunger is a murdered kid.
Powerful countries or companies steal the earth from poor counties, paying about nothing, creating nearly no jobs and the one they create are as good than slavery.
To create 40L of agrofuel you have to burn the food of a kids for a year, we waste a lot of water, and pollute, because by burning them add CO2 i ...more
Powerful countries or companies steal the earth from poor counties, paying about nothing, creating nearly no jobs and the one they create are as good than slavery.
To create 40L of agrofuel you have to burn the food of a kids for a year, we waste a lot of water, and pollute, because by burning them add CO2 i ...more
Excellent treatise on the behind-the-scenes politics that are causing, increasing, and failing to solve the worldwide problem of suffering from lack of food access, with sobering reports on the resulting death, disease, hunger...and wasted human potential. Mr. Ziegler provides personal examples from his years as the UN Rapporteur on the Right to Food, and updated statistics behind the global waste and destruction of food and agricultural resources.
Another super-scary book with a hint of hope: in summary, the world is ruled by a horde of criminals who become richer and more powerful as they kill more and more people: they restrict access to food, use the land to create bio-fuels instead of food, keep entire communities isolated, without access to water or food, etc. Will it be possible to stop them? Well, it will be very difficult, but maybe not entirely impossible.
Toutes les cinq secondes un enfant de moins de dix ans meurt de faim, tandis que des dizaines de millions d’autres, et leurs parents avec eux, souffrent de la sous-alimentation et de ses terribles séquelles physiques et psychologiques.
Et pourtant, les experts le savent bien, l’agriculture mondiale d’aujourd’hui serait en mesure de nourrir 12 milliards d’êtres humains, soit près du double de la population mondiale. Nulle fatalité, donc, à cette destruction massive. Comment y mettre fin ? ...
Et pourtant, les experts le savent bien, l’agriculture mondiale d’aujourd’hui serait en mesure de nourrir 12 milliards d’êtres humains, soit près du double de la population mondiale. Nulle fatalité, donc, à cette destruction massive. Comment y mettre fin ? ...
Excellent coverage of the topic. The good news is that we've made some progress against hunger. However, because the world's population keeps growing, there are more people among the desperately hunger.
And the same people who trashed the world economy have discovered speculation in food crops and the lands that grow them as another focus of their greed. This should make everyone boiling mad. ...more
And the same people who trashed the world economy have discovered speculation in food crops and the lands that grow them as another focus of their greed. This should make everyone boiling mad. ...more
"The world has enough for everyones need, but not for everyones greed". Mahatma Ghandi
Jean Ziegler ist es wunderbar gelungen, die wirklichen Verbrecher dieser Welt zu entlarven, und den Leser dabei auf die ungleiche Nahrungsverteilung in dieser Welt aufmerksam zu machen. Ein Buch, das schockiert, aber auch motiviert, seine eigene Stimme zu erheben gegen diesen Wahnsinn. ...more
Jean Ziegler ist es wunderbar gelungen, die wirklichen Verbrecher dieser Welt zu entlarven, und den Leser dabei auf die ungleiche Nahrungsverteilung in dieser Welt aufmerksam zu machen. Ein Buch, das schockiert, aber auch motiviert, seine eigene Stimme zu erheben gegen diesen Wahnsinn. ...more
Jan 16, 2013
Eva Strange
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-translation,
non-fiction
If I have to critisize anything aboutthis book, it is the frequent polemical choice of words - not because this is uncalled for, given the topic, butbecause, sadly, it makes it easy for the author's enemies to accuse him (once more) of a lack of professionalism and, by consequence, credibility. And that would be a great shame.
...more
La seule chose que je demande à dieu
C’est que la douleur ne me laisse pas indifférent
Et que la mort blême ne me trouve pas
Seule et vide, sans avoir fait
Ce qui est nécessaire sur cette terre.
C’est que la douleur ne me laisse pas indifférent
Et que la mort blême ne me trouve pas
Seule et vide, sans avoir fait
Ce qui est nécessaire sur cette terre.
Instructive reading. A lot of informations and statistics. It's impressive to see an author writing with so much passion.
...more
A dry discourse on the continuing ravages of oligopolies & hedge fund traders on our planet.....
Jean Ziegler is the master... of honesty. Great book on the right to food: the legal concept and how it is actually enforced
Interesting book, it shines when retelling stories about the lack of food, globally. Slower at other points, a bit technical.
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Readers also enjoyed
Jean Ziegler is a former professor of sociology at the University of Geneva and the Sorbonne, Paris. He was a Member of Parliament for the Social Democrats in the Federal Assembly of Switzerland from 1981 to 1999. He has also held several positions with the United Nations, especially as Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food from 2000 to 2008, and as a member of the Advisory Committee of the UN H
...more
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27 likes · 4 comments
“Sur un même ring de boxe sont réunis Mike Tyson, le champion du monde en titre des poids lourds, et un chômeur bengali sous-alimenté.
Que disent les ayatollahs du dogme néolibéral ? Justice est assurée, puisque les gants de boxe des deux protagonistes sont de même facture, le temps du combat égal pour eux, l'espace de l'affrontement unique, et les règles du jeu constantes. Alors que le meilleur gagne !
L'arbitre impartial, c'est le marché.
L'absurdité du dogme néolibéral saute aux yeux. (p. 193)”
—
4 likes
Que disent les ayatollahs du dogme néolibéral ? Justice est assurée, puisque les gants de boxe des deux protagonistes sont de même facture, le temps du combat égal pour eux, l'espace de l'affrontement unique, et les règles du jeu constantes. Alors que le meilleur gagne !
L'arbitre impartial, c'est le marché.
L'absurdité du dogme néolibéral saute aux yeux. (p. 193)”
“La conscience de l’identité entre tous les hommes est au fondement du droit à l’alimentation. Personne ne saurait tolérer la destruction de son semblable par la faim sans mettre en danger sa propre humanité, son identité. (p. 122)”
—
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