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Feeding the Poor by Peter Rossi. This book culls and analyzes scientific evidence of impact of five U.S. nutrition programs. All five are federally funded: WIC, the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast program, the food stamp program, and the Child Care Food Program. Rossi asks why some programs have not been based on sound epidemiological evidence, while others, such as WIC, have been. He finds that the impact of several major programs are difficult to measure because their objectives are defined too vaguely. Hardcover December, 1998. 120 pages. ISBN: 0844740101. Washington DC: American Enterprise Institute.

World Hunger by E.M.Young. This book canvasses many international hunger problems, but in simple terms. Comparing numerous recent authors on poverty, conflict, resource scarcity and hunger, the author adequately presents debates on trends. As such it will make a good text for introductory undergraduate courses in international development or hunger. July, 1997. Paperback, 176 pages. ISBN: 041513773X. (London: Routledge)

Action Contre la Faim’s book, The Geopolitics Of Hunger, Using Hunger as a Weapon (1999, Paris, http://www.puf-lib.com; or email aah@aah-usa.org), reviews 11 country cases where hunger & death result from long-term armed conflict, trade sanctions, and political standoffs. The international NGO, Action Against Hunger, draws together staff analyses on the social, political & historical dynamics of food crises in program areas including Sierra Leone, Iraq, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, Somalia, North Korea, Afghanistan and Burma. ACF pinpoints the varying roadblocks to humanitarian aid. For example, in Burundi, the government authorities limit expatriate movement, civilian access to food and the maintenance of 24-hour nutrition rehabilitation centers. In Sudan, ACF was forced to leave by the rebel faction (SPLA) for researching the protracted malnutrition among the population who were taxed and forcibly recruited by the rebels; ACF also notes the disorganization of food aid in Sudan: “Aid is misused for political purposes, and "A significant proportion of aid and medicine goes straight to the soldiers." In North Korea, as well, food resources are channeled to the government and the military. In what ACF calls "extortion diplomacy" food aid donors bail out the financially bankrupt North Korean government. “As long as charitable organizations do not adopt a common line of conduct by refusing to play the regime's game, the regime will play off rivalries, rivalries between NGOs and donors alike, so as to continue to receive aid, despite the often obscure use of food & medicine from the international community."

Global Food Insecurity and The Doubly Green Revolution, Food for All for the 20th Century by Gordon Conway (1998, Ithaca, NY, Cornell University Press) offers one of the best, comprehensive and balanced explanations of food security trends worldwide, with a focus on food access by the poor. This is an excellent text for graduate courses in agriculture, rural development, and international nutrition. Based on crop genetic research supported by Rockefeller Foundation (of which Conway is now President) and the Ford Foundation, rice, wheat and maize crop yields have trended upward in much of Asia and Latin America. “The impact of the Green Revolution on hunger has been uneven. Among the urban poor the incidence and severity of under-nutrition have declined, particularly in China, and also among the rural poor who live in Green Revolution lands of East and South Asia, West Asia, North Africa and Latin America. In Sub-Saharan Africa, both the proportion and numbers of undernourished has risen." Blending text and graphs, Conway shows the growth of irrigated agriculture, threats to land quality (e.g. salting), the control of pests, the flow of nutrients in the farm system, and compares production and trade trends of different food groups. In a later chapter, he explains how humanitarian thinking about the dynamics of famine has evolved in recent decades: “The emphasis on access to food, rather than food production produced a sea change in thinking about food security. Research in famine situations has revealed the complex ways in which people respond to adversity." Conway argues that lack of local credit constrains most farmers and advocates local, self-managed credit groups. Conway concludes in calling for support for the International Agricultural Research Centers, and in the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

Practical steps to save lives of the malnourished are summarized, culling decades of field research, in the World Health Organization manual, Management of Severe Malnutrition: a Manual for Physicians and Other Senior Health Workers (1999 Geneva: WHO), largely based on the work of Dr. Michael Golden of Aberdeen, Scotland. The manual provides critical information that many clinicians trained in previous decades do not understand, including the fluid and electrolyte needs in severe malnutrition specifying modified oral rehydration solution to give to severely malnourished children, who are deficient in potassium and have abnormally high levels of sodium. It emphasizes the importance of frequent feeding and warmth throughout the night to mitigate against hypoglycemia & hypothermia. It explains the transition from initial feeding with frequent (every 2 hours) 75 kilocalorie per kilogram (child weight) per day mix to less frequent (4 hourly) 100 kcal/kg mix. In early treatment, children respond to higher than previously thought intake of minerals and electrolytes, whereas high protein intake is harmful. Guidance is also given on use of vitamin A, antibiotics, nasogastric feeding and on management in refugee settings. The full text is available (in adobe format, for download) from: http://www.who.int/nut/Manageme.pdf. Of similar interest, also see the World Health Organization's “Field-Guide for Rapid Nutritional Assessment in Emergencies" published by WHO's Eastern Mediterranean office.

Feeding the Ten Billion: Plants and Population Growth (L.T. Evans, 1998, Cambridge University Press) takes a most unique look at the population/food race, by charting it over the millennia, for example when the human population was only a few million persons (8,000 years ago), and into the recent past, as the human population surpassed first three billion, then four, then five, and how the world's overall food production has kept pace. The author asks essential questions that have to do with whether or not the world will be able to continue to expand food production. Noting that over 90 percent of increases in food output during the last 30 years are accounted for by constant increase in yield (output per land under cultivation), the author suggests that there is still room for greater yield improvements in developing countries. Also, "as the key to higher yields and greater cropping intensity in developing countries, the further extension of irrigation is essential, but likely to be limited."

Rethinking Urban Economic Development by William Schweke and Brian Dabson is an introductory overview to a different way of thinking about and acting within modern urban economies so that all may benefit from economic development. It outlines the basic steps for tailoring an appropriate urban development effort, including modernizing manufacturing firms, reforming city schools, developing welfare-to-work initiatives, running microenterprise, and designing individual development accounts. All those concerned about the economic fortunes of their cities can benefit from this reading. 1998. 112 pages. Price: $20.00. Contact the Corporation for Enterprise Development, 777 North Capitol St., N.E., Suite 410, Washington, D.C. 20002 or call: (202) 408-9788.

Women, Population and Global Crisis, by Dr. Asoka Bandarage, professor of women's studies at Mt. Holyoke College, provides the first serious scholarly challenge to the widely-held theory that overpopulation is the root cause of global crisis. Prof. Bandarage's critique gives new perspectives on destabilizing problems such as poverty, hunger, First World-Third World economic disparity, environmental degradation, deteriorating global security and mass refugee immigration. She asserts that not only is limiting population growth an incorrect, inefficient solution to "global" problems, it also is patriarchal, anti-woman and inhumane. 1997. 384 pages. ISBN 1-85649-427-6 (hardbound) $55.00 ISBN 1-85649-428-4 (paperback) $25.00. Zed Books. To order, contact: St. Martin's Press, Scholarly and Reference Division, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010.

Water and Population Dynamics: Local Approaches to a Global Challenge is prepared by the Population Reference Bureau with the World Conservation Union. The report provides an overview of the linkages between water resources and population dynamics, analyzes lessons from nine developing-country case studies and recommendations from a workshop held at the World Conservation Congress in Montreal in October, 1996. In the face of growing populations and finite water resources, policymakers are challenged to balance water needs for agriculture, industry, domestic use, and for maintaining healthy ecosystems. Workshop participants agreed that because of the local nature of water-population relationships, involving local communities is critical to developing sustainable water management policies. Contact Alene Gelbard at PRB at 1875 Connecticut Ave., N.W., Ste. 520, Washington, DC 20009. Tel.: (202) 483-1100, Fax: (202) 328-3937, email: agelbard@prb.org.

Nurtured by Knowledge: Learning to do Participatory Action-Research edited by Susan E. Smith and Dennis G. Willms with Nancy A. Johnson describes the struggle to fashion a new approach to research on social change based on the principle that people have a universal right to participate in the production of knowledge that directly affects their lives. The heart of the book is a series of case studies of participatory action-research (PAR) and attempts to achieve it in such diverse places as Canada, India, Africa, and Latin America. The final chapter analyzes lessons from these case studies and explores the principles and evolving processes of the PAR methodology in striving to satisfy the need for liberation and recovery of community. Published by The Apex Press in cooperation with the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Contact: The Apex Press, 777 United Nations Plaza, Ste. 3C, New York, NY 10017. E-mail: cipany@igc.apc.org. Telephone: 1-800-316-APEX (2739).

A Day with 6 MCC Workers is a 19-minute video, produced in 1997, that profiles the lives of Mennonite Central Committee workers in various countries. Viewing this video is an excellent way to find out what MCC workers do. Available for purchase for $25 (U.S.) from the Akron, Pennsylvania office at 21 South 12th St., P.O. Box 500, Akron, PA 17501-0500. Telephone: (717) 859-1151, fax: (717) 859-2171, e-mail: mccresources@mcc.org. Also available for loan from all MCC offices in the United States and Canada.

Who's Hungry? And How Do We Know? Food Shortage, Poverty, and Deprivation by Laurie DeRose, Ellen Messer, and Sara Millman, refines popular thinking about the underlying causes of hunger by looking at the complex relationships between hunger at different levels of social organization, from the state to the individual family, and how it is measured according to a "hunger typology" developed by Brown University's World Hunger Program. Written by a sociologist, a nutritional anthropologist, and a demographer. United Nations University Press, ISBN 92-808-0985-7, US $19.95. Order from: United Nations Publications, 2 United Nations Plaza DC2-853, New York, NY 10017, USA. Telephone: (212) 963-8302 or 1-800-253-9646, fax: 1-212-963-3489, e-mail: publications@un.org.

World Development Report 1996: From Plan to Market discusses the global economy and the transitional phases in the development of a market based economy. Human resources, environmental stability, and socio-economic indicators are included, summarizing the data for 133 countries and territories. This report is available in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. To order contact The World Bank, P.O. Box 7247, Philadelphia, PA 19101-9630, tel (202) 473-1155, fax (202) 522-2627, e-mail <books@worldbank.org>.

Shattered Lives: Sexual Violence during the Rwandan Genocide and its Aftermath discusses the issues surrounding the violence against women during the war in Rwanda in 1994. Personal accounts of the violence during the war and the ongoing problems victims face, as well as recommendations and international and national responses to these issues are discussed. To order contact Human Rights Watch, 485 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10017-6104, tel (212) 972-8400, fax (212) 972-0905, e-mail <hrwnyc@hrw.org>.

War and Public Health, edited by Barry S. Levy and Victor W. Sidel, co-published with the American Public Health Association, describes the relationship of war and public health. It explores the roles of health professionals and health organizations during war, and describes what health professionals can do to help prevent war. The book includes chapters on the effects of war on health, human rights, and the environment, and pays special attention to vulnerable populations such as women, children, and refugees. The public health effects of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons systems are examined, as well as the consequences of the Vietnam War, The Persian Gulf War, and the war in Central America. In addition to discussing the direct results of the use of conventional weapons, the editors consider the role of the international arms trade, including the diversion of resources that could otherwise be used for health and human welfare. To order contact Order Dept, Oxford University Press, 2001 Evans Rd, Cary, NC, 27513, tel (800) 451-7556.

Third World Resources is published quarterly by Third World Resources to alert concerned educators and activists to new resources related to Third World regions and issues. The editors do not necessarily endorse resources that appear in this review. An expanded and updated edition of the "Directory of Organizations" that appeared in the Third World Resource Directory 1994-1995 is now available in print and electronic formats. The 42-page list contains names and addresses of major national and international publishers and/or distributors of Third World-related resources. Price varies according to the use that will be made of the list. Write or call for details: Third World Resources, 464 19 St., Oakland, CA 94612-2297 USA. Tel: (510) 835-4692, ext. 113. Fax: (510) 835-3017.

Improving the Quality of Life of Girls, by Kathleen M. Kurz and Cynthia Prather. This important work explores the constraints limiting the quality of life of girls, especially related to their health, education, and social well-being. Programs and policies that show promise for overcoming those constraints are also discussed. Produced cooperatively by the Association for Women in Development (AWID) and UNICEF. Write AWID at 1511 K St., N.W., Ste. 825, Washington, D.C. 20005, or call (202) 628-0440.

Nightmare or Reality by Angela Delli Sante. This book was the result of more than 10 years of research. It concerns one of Guatemala's most tragic decades, the 1980s: A decade fraught with state terror, civil war, social upheaval, and perhaps the greatest displacement of the Mayan people since the colonial epoch. It outlines, in considerable detail, the internal situation, including the historic circumstances which led up to it, and the repressive apparatus responsible for the state terror. It also examines the international network of support for that apparatus. The focus of the book, however, is on the plight of the tens of thousands who fled from the violence to seek refuge outside of their homeland, and who, even abroad, were to become the victims of the same international struggles which had been fundamentally responsible for the destiny of their country for the past 40 years. Dr. Delli Sante has been a researcher and professor for many years and is currently at the Latin American Institute of the Free University of Berlin. Her address is: Jenaer Strasse 22, D-10717 Berlin, Germany.

The Challenge of Cultural Development by D. Paul Schafer is new from the World Culture Project. The basic thesis is that national and international attention should be focused in the future on the development of cultures. To be effective, cultures should be comprehensive, coherent, cohesive, humane and properly contexted in the natural and historical environment. Contact: World Culture Project, 19 Sir Gawaine Place, Markham, Ontario, Canada L3P 3A1.

Women Connecting Beyond Beijing workshop materials were developed to provide local groups with an understanding of the relevance of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, in light of their own concerns. Through guided discussion and group activities, participants identify relevant issues from the Conference's Platform for Action and explore how to link their local concerns to a global agenda. Participants also develop strategies for action plans which are based on their own vision for the future of their local community-- and for the well-being of the global community. Available in English and in Spanish. Contact the Center of Concern, 3700 13th St., N.E., Washington, D.C. 20017. Phone: 202-635-2757, fax: 202-832-9494.

Female Genital Mutilation A Call for Global Action by Nahid Toubia. This book provides an overview of the prevalence of global clitoridectomy and infibulation. It lays out the medical facts about, and consequences of, female genital mutilation (FGM). The book describes the cultural significance of this practice in Africa, and suggests legal, religious, social and political steps to eradicate it. Available in English and French from Rainbow press in paperback for US$9.95, 48 pp., 1995. Contact Women, Ink., New York, NY, Phone: (212) 687-8633 or fax: (212) 661-2704.

Overseas Research: A Practical Guide by Christopher B. Barrett and Jeffrey W. Cason is the first book designed explicitly to prepare scholars and professionals for the real-life challenges of living and working abroad. Opening with a discussion of site selection and project funding, the authors advise researchers on preparing for departure, setting up residence in the field, conducting research in an unfamiliar environment, employing field assistants, and organizing for and adjusting to the return home. The text is supplemented with insights, anecdotes, and tips from more than 60 scholars in a wide variety of disciplines, who conducted research in more than 40 countries. To order, write: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4319.

Where Are the Beans? is a brief educational video about the effect of debt on bean farmers in Honduras. The focus on food and farming connects with many North Americans. The video brings the feelings of Third-World farmers into the classroom. A study guide accompanies the video, and includes background facts and discussion questions and activities, providing busy teachers with a ready resource. Contact the Mennonite Central Committee, 21 S. 12th St., P.O. Box 500, Akron, PA 17501. Telephone: (717) 859-1151, fax: (717) 859-2171.

Exploring Sustainable Communities, 12th in the series: Teacher's Guides to World Resources, is a practical guide for high school teachers and community leaders interested in exploring how to envision and create a sustainable future for their own communities. Student input is already shaping community plans. For example, Chattanooga, Tennessee, which underwent a highly participatory planning process 20 years ago, built a showcase freshwater aquarium to help revitalize its waterfront as the result of a suggestion by a high school student during a community "visioning" session. The guide employs practical group exercises and case studies to help students understand the history and the possible futures for their own communities, as well as the important role they can play in the development of their community's future. Contact Mary Paden, Environmental Education Director, World Resources Institute, 1709 New York Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006, e-mail: mary@wri.org.

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