In his message to FAO, pope calls for action against hunger and poverty
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – The Holy Father on World Food Day sent a message to José Graziano da Silva, director general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). This year, the event focused on ‘Social Protection and Agriculture: Breaking the Cycle of Rural Poverty’.
For the pope, more than good intentions and declarations are needed in a world full of hunger and lacking in social protection. Governments must act with deeds to promote a fair distribution of the earth’s bounty, because it is no longer possible "to conceive of a society in which the resources are in the hands of the few, and the least privileged must make do with the leftovers".
"We live,” the pontiff writes, “in an age in which the unfettered pursuit of profit, the concentration on particular interests and the effects of unjust policies make less effective the actions taken by States”. They also can “impede effective cooperation within the international community.” Hence, “The goal of finding the necessary means to free humanity from hunger and promote farming to meet the needs of the world’s various regions is certainly an ambitious goal, one that cannot be delayed.”
At a time when "the gap in well-being, income, consumption, access to health care, education and life expectancy is growing, [. . .] we witness, often silent and paralysed, situations that cannot be exclusively linked to economics”. Increasingly, “inequality is the effect of a culture that rejects and excludes from social life so many of our brothers and sisters, and does not take into account their abilities but treats as superfluous their contribution to the life of the human family."
"Indeed, the lack of social protection weighs most heavily on local farmers, ranchers and fishermen, forced to live in precarious conditions, since – lacking in resources to face poor harvests or obtain the necessary technical tools – the fruit of their labour depends largely on environmental conditions that are often outside their control. Paradoxically, even when production is abundant, they encounter serious difficulties linked to the transportation, sale and conservation of the fruits of their labour.
"The plight of the hungry and malnourished shows that it is not enough, that “we cannot be satisfied with a generic appeal for cooperation or to the common good. Perhaps we must ask, ‘Is it still possible to conceive of a society in which the resources are in the hands of the few, and the least privileged must make do with the leftovers?’ The answer cannot be limited to good intentions, but must rather consist in ‘social peace, the stability and security provided by a certain order which cannot be achieved without particular concern for distributive justice; whenever this is violated, violence always ensues (Laudato si’, 157).
“In fact, for people and communities, the lack of social protection is a negative factor in itself and cannot be limited only to the possible threat to public order, since inequality concerns the fundamental elements of individual and collective welfare, like health, education, and participation in decision-making processes.
"Taking into account the rights of the hungry and accepting their aspirations means first of all expressing solidarity in actual deeds. This requires sharing, not just better managing social and economic risks, or conducting timely rescue [operations] during environmental disasters and crisis. This is what is requested from FAO, its decisions and initiatives, as well as actual programmes, in various locations."
"This anthropological perspective, however, shows that social protection cannot be limited to rising incomes, or investments in the means of subsistence for improved agricultural productivity, or the promotion of equitable economic development. It has to come about through '’social love', which is the key to authentic development (cf. ibid, 231).
“If considered in its essentially human components, social protection can increase, in the most disadvantaged people, the power to recover from, face and overcome difficulties and setbacks. It will make everyone make sense of the sustainable use of natural resources and the full respect of the house common.
“My thoughts especially go to the role social protection can play in supporting the family, which is where members start to learn what it means to share, help one another, and protect one another. Safeguarding family life means promoting wmen's economic progress, which can boost their role in society, as well as facilitiate elderly care and help young people pursue their education and training, as well as enter the workplace well prepared.
"Pessimism or indifference cannot prevail despite difficulties. Despite the complexity of problems, what has been accomplished so far is already a source of encouragement for the entire international community, for its institutions and its lines of action. These include, I think, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was recently approved by the United Nations.
“I hope this does not remain just a set of rules and possible agreements. I hope that it will inspire a different model of social protection, at both the international and national levels. This will prevent its use for the benefit of interests contrary to human dignity, or that do not fully respect life, or justify omissive attitudes that leave problems unresolved, thereby worsening the situations of inequality.
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