6th Grade SS

Sure, there are 7 billion people on the planet, give or take. But for a lot of countries, the problem isn't too many people; it's too few babies. In parts of Europe and Asia, couples aren't having enough babies to keep the population steady. Some governments have responded by paying people to have kids.

High prices -- for bread, in particular -- helped fuel the protests in Tahrir Square back in January. Experts say that if Egypt's going to have any chance at feeding its 85 million people, it needs a food policy do-over. Our series Food for 9 Billion is about the global challenge of feeding a growing world. Today, the market realities of food independence. Sandy Tolan reports from Cairo.

One of the world's most recent success stories is the country of Brazil, where a government program called "Zero Hunger" has received a lot of attention for radically reducing hunger in that country.

world food day usa World Food Day, October 16th, is a worldwide event designed to increase awareness, understanding and informed,  year-around action to alleviate hunger.  

With the United Nations saying there are gonna be 9 billion people on the planet by the middle of the century, how are we gonna feed them all? In Africa right now, a continent with one of the world's fastest growing populations, a lot of farmers work the same way their ancestors did -- no fertilizers or improved seeds. No fancy machinery or sophisticated irrigation systems. And yet they're going to have to double the amount of food they produce by 2050.

By the middle of the century, the United Nations tells us it's gonna to be 9 billion. Among the many, many questions that raises is how we're gonna feed them all. The answer is complicated -- a mix of politics, culture, science, and traditions all affecting the global food supply.

So today we're starting a year-long series about the global food system, and how we're going to feed those 9 billion people -- if we're going to be able to feed 'em at all.

It seems that taking a plastic bottle, filling it with clean water and a little bleach and then suspending it from a ceiling through a hole to the sky can bring about the same amount of light into a room as a 50-watt bulb. It's all due to the way the light of the sun refracts.

He has now been to nine countries on three continents, recently returning from Bangladesh. A print exhibit of the resulting images is scheduled to open May 1 at Casal Solleric in Palma, Mallorca. During his travels, Bonet met many women who embraced the microcredit financial model to stand on their own and provide for their families. But it’s certainly not a cure-all.