By Duncan Bick

Last updated at 14:30, Wednesday, 23 January 2013

Hunger at home and abroad is the target of a campaign being launched in Carlisle today.

Adrienne Gill

Enough Food For Everyone IF got going at 1pm in Carlisle, outside the Old Town Hall.

It is a national campaign and similar events are taking place around the UK.

Several local groups have formed a coalition to run the crusade. One is the Carlisle One World Centre.

Its development officer Adrienne Gill said: “There is enough food to feed everyone but four billion tons of food is going to waste each year around the world, and that’s wrong.”

The campaign urges people to lobby the Government on four issues, described as the four big ifs, which are:

• If farmers can be stopped from being forced off their land and made to grow food rather than biofuel;
• If governments keep promises on aid and invest to stop children dying from malnutrition and help poor people feed themselves through investment;
• If governments can stop tax loopholes so the money can be used to help poor farmers;
• If governments and businesses can be open about deals done in poor countries.

This is the biggest joint campaign since Make Poverty History in 2005.

It has the backing of 80 different organisations, as well as Microsoft founder turned philanthropist Bill Gates and Desmond Tutu, the former Archbishop of Cape Town and a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

In a report, issued today, it states that 937 million children and young people will have their lives affected by hunger and malnutrition, which will cost developing countries an estimated £78 billion in lost economic output.

Mrs Gill pointed out that hunger was also an issue more locally.

“Here in Carlisle people are going hungry because they can’t afford to eat proper meals,” she said.

A total of 24 launches, including the one in Carlisle, were taking place across the country.

To keep up to date with the campaign visit www.enoughfoodif.org.

First published at 14:28, Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk