On Wednesday, former Senator/Democratic presidential nominee/Recipient of the 2008 World Food Prize George McGovern wrote in Politico about the connection between investment in food production in developing countries and their economic success:

“With 80 percent of the world’s poor — most of whom are women — living in rural areas, consider …the enormous ramifications of investing U.S. assistance directly in agricultural productivity. This bolsters domestic food production and security in developing nations, equipping them to feed their own citizens by making investments throughout the entire agricultural value chain, including in seeds, fertilizers, soil health, agriculture technology and basic infrastructure, like roads, water systems and irrigation. It also involves land and policy reforms, agricultural education and training, and greater access to markets, as well as finance and credit for agricultural producers and better food distribution practices.”

In his book “The Third Freedom: Ending Hunger in Our Time,” Senator McGovern wrote:

“It is probably true that affluent countries can afford to reject scientific agriculture and pay more for food produced by so-called natural methods. But the 800 million poor, chronically hungry people of Asia, Africa and Latin America cannot afford such foods.”