United States

Near Garden City, Kan., the High Plains Aquifer is giving out. Photo: Matthew Staver/New York Times

Wells dry, fertile plains turn to dust

by Michael Wines New York Times May 19, 2013

HASKELL COUNTY, Kan. — Forty-nine years ago, Ashley Yost’s grandfather sank a well deep into a half-mile square of rich Kansas farmland. He struck an artery of water so prodigious that he could pump 1,600 gallons to the surface every minute....

84 percent of NYC fast food workers report wage theft in a new survey

by Josh Eidelson The Nation May 16, 2013

At an 11 am press conference outside a Brooklyn KFC restaurant, fast food workers and activists will release a new report alleging rampant wage theft in their industry, one of the fastest-growing in the United States. The report includes results f...

Supreme Court rules for Monsanto, says farmer violated genetically modified soybeans’ patent

by Robert Barnes Washington Post May 13, 2013

Farmers must pay Monsanto each time they plant the company’s genetically modified soybeans, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, rejecting an Indiana farmer’s argument that his un ­or­tho­dox techniques did not violate the company’s patent....

Laura Fritz, 27, left, with her daughter, Adalade Goudeseune, fills out a form at the Jefferson Action Center, an assistance center in the Denver suburb of Lakewood in July 2012. Fritz grew up in the Denver suburbs in a solidly middle class family, but she and her boyfriend, who has struggled to find work, are now relying on government assistance to cover food and $650 rent for their family. Photo: Kristen Wyatt/AP

Millions of Americans live in extreme poverty. Here’s how they get by.

by Dylan Matthews Washington Post May 13, 2013

The decline of extreme poverty — defined by the World Bank as living on less than $1.25 a day, which is derived from the average poverty line in the world's poorest countries — in recent decades has been nothing short of remarkable. As Howard Sch...

Federal contractors employ more low-wage workers than Wal-Mart and Mc Donald’s combined, new study indicates

by Jim Tankersley and Marjorie Censer Washington Post May 7, 2013

Federal taxpayers employ more low-wage workers than Wal-Mart and McDonald’s combined, a new study calculates.The report from a public policy organization Demos, set to be released Wednesday, estimates that taxpayer dollars fund nearly 2 million pri...

Working for hours on end under a punishing sun, the pickers are said to be crowded into squalid camps, driven without a break and even cheated of wages.  Photo: Grant Blankenship/New York Times

Workers claim race bias as farms rely on immigrants

by Ethan Bronner New York Times May 6, 2013

VIDALIA, Ga. — For years, labor unions and immigrant rights activists have accused large-scale farmers, like those harvesting sweet Vidalia onions here this month, of exploiting Mexican guest workers. Working for hours on end under a punishing sun,...

  • World Hunger Education
    Service
    P.O. Box 29015
    Washington, D.C. 20017
  • For the past 50 years, since its founding in 1976, the mission of World Hunger Education Service is to undertake programs, including Hunger Notes, that
    • Educate the general public and target groups about the extent and causes of hunger and malnutrition in the United States and the world
    • Advance comprehension which integrates ethical, religious, social, economic, political, and scientific perspectives on the world food problem
    • Facilitate communication and networking among those who are working for solutions
    • Promote individual and collective commitments to sustainable hunger solutions.