The Rural Voice, 1983-05, Page 20IN THE NEWS
C.F.F.O.: BE SELECTIVE GIVING
MONEY TO THE NEEDY
by Rhea Hamilton
Some popular myths about food and
the third world countries were squashed
recently at the Central Huron Christian
Farmers meeting. Gordon Hunsberger,
retired farmer from the Waterloo region,
spoke on the importance of helping those
less fortunate and on the value of volun-
teer work.
The whole idea that farmers in this
country must feel obligated to produce
more to feed the hungry of the world is a
popular myth, Hunsberger said. The
world is plagued with food surpluses; it
is just a matter of getting the food to the
hungry.
Hunsberger and his wife worked
through the St. Jacobs Mennonite Cen-
tral Committee (MCC) in Haiti as
volunteers for five years. They had a
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choice on whether to work in the more
prosperous plains area and help farmers
produce more or help in the mountains
where there were needy people who
would still be without food no matter
how much a surplus was produced in the
plains.
Hunsberger said the new miracle seeds
that are so much more productive have
their drawbacks as they need the right
conditions to do well and these condi-
tions are not always possible in many of
the areas where they are shipped. Plus
Hunsberger says many of the people able
to take advan age of the better seed are
already better off and again the problem
of helping those who need it most is not
solved.
Food moves to where the people can
pay for it. Hunsberger confessed he saw
crates, marked "food stuffs, not for sale"
being sold rather than given to the needy.
For many there is little work and the
pay so low, many cannot make enough to
buy the food and don't have the land to
grow their own food.
Haiti is the poorest country in the
Western hemisphere and Hunsberger
said that the country needs volunteers
that will listen and learn. Many go to the
island to help and the new ideas just do
not work under the conditions there.
Hunsberger himself worked a lot with
soil preservation. He helped teach the
importance of turning plant matter under
rather than burning it off each spring and
the value of planting trees.
Hunsberger outlined several points for
farmers to remember to help the world
"hunger situation". He said everyone
should be good stewards of the land so
future generations will continue to enjoy
productive land.
Hunsberger cautioned farmers to be
selective in giving money. A good rule of
thumb would be through their own
church because they both trust and know
more about the organizations involved.
Most church -oriented groups keep ad-
ministration costs below 10 per cent as
opposed to some groups that eat up 53
per cent of the funding.
Beware of problems, Hunsberger says.
The grain bank, held for emergencies,
sent a load of grain to Guatemala after an
earthquake there. It was discovered that
the grain was not needed and forced local
food prices down hurting the local
farmers. Technological help is another
sore point. Hunsberger says appropriate
help allows people to make better use of
what they have.
"It is not enough to teach them how to
fish but to see if they have a spot at the
stream to fish" says Hunsberger. This is
one of the most difficult problems. Due
to politics it is not an easy one to solve,