OXFAMExchange Spring 2008

The global food crisis is new and very real, but the seeds were planted long ago. Oxfam has long spoken out against poor policy decisions—like farm subsidies in wealthy countries and misguided trade policies—that have undermined small farmers in the developing world and have made a fertile ground for today's crisis. Yet the situation is far from hopeless. The global community must act swiftly. Unfortunately—as we've seen in other crises—that does not always happen. For example, this issue of OXFAMExchange features the humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has been going on for over a decade. Increasingly Oxfam is a harbinger of such avoidable crises. We need your help in speaking out. Through effective advocacy, we can prevent unnecessary suffering. Together, we have the ability to influence our futures.