solution lies in land reform. Land reform is necessary not only for justice, but for efficient food production. Many governments have land reform laws but do not fully implement them. The rich landowners are constantly lobbying the governments to stick to the status quo, but the people who do not own large amounts of land need to pressure the Government into fully implementing the existing laws. In order to succeed in land reform the governments need to further help the poor farmers by offering loans for seed and equipment to get them started. The third basic need that needs to readily available to the poor is water. Water is essential for the attack on disease, malnutrition and infant mortality. It is also impossible for humans to survive without water. Groups, such as Australia's Freedom from Hunger Campaign, have researched the problem of lack of water and have come up with three major steps which they believe, if introduced and maintained, can solve this problem. The first step is to keep the existing water supply free from pollutants which cause diseases, and to make public health education readily available. The second involves the cooperation of development organizations that make sure they concentrate on areas most in need of help. Thirdly, they believe that by helping poor farmers gain control of their land, and thereby their water supply, and helping them become economically independent they can promote community development, which in turn enables communities to solve their own problems. While food, land and water are not the only needs unavailable to the poor in developing countries, they are the stepping stones to greater equality and the eradication of poverty. Once the population is provided with sufficient food, shelter and clothing, you can begin to target other areas such as social justice, recognizing the role of women, improving education and public health awareness, and birth control or family planning. If we...
