You`ve likely seen last week`s cover of ”Time” declaring famine in Ethiopia. But you may be unaware that America itself has an estimated 20 million hungry. In ”The Politics of Food” (8 p.m. Tuesday on WTTW-Ch. 11), it is shown that the world food trading system, the American farm crisis, the huge Third World debt and the machinations of various governmental and relief agencies accerbate a solvable crisis.
Martin Sheen narrates this documentary, which was produced by an international consortium headed by Yorkshire Television in England. The story begins with a visit to Minnesota to examine how too much production has depleted prices, forcing farmers out of business and flooding the world with low-priced food. This in turn undermines farming attempts in Third World countries. Also examined are reasons why hunger exists in Sudan, Ethiopia and Bangladesh.
