Jonzi D helps Oxfam GROW

Oxfam recently caught up with Jonzi D to promote its GROW campaign, a series of conversations with high profile personalities about tackling the injustices in ways we produce and consume food around the world.

Oxfam surveyed over 16,000 people across the world about their attitudes towards the food they eat, one of whom was Jonzi D when Tabu Flo was in town ahead of Breakin’ Convention 2011.

“I love the fact that my craft as an MC and Tabu Flo’s skills as dancers can be used to promote Oxfam’s objectives in relation to the distribution of food and general wealth around the world today,” said Jonzi D. “I hope that the little that I can contribute will make a difference.”

New research published in a report by Oxfam, Growing a Better Future, predicts that average international prices of key staple ingredients such as maize, rice and corn will increase by between 120 and 180 per cent by 2030 thanks to a growing world population, lack of investment in small scale agriculture and the impact of climate change.

Decades of steady progress in the fight against hunger is now being reversed as demand outpaces food production. Natural resources are being depleted, fertile land and water is being distributed unfairly, and the gathering pace of climate change is already making the situation worse.

"It's a scandal that in a world that produces enough food, 1 in 7 people currently goes hungry every day,” said Claire Lewis, global ambassador programme manager at Oxfam. “It doesn't have to be like this - the broken global food system must be fixed so that everyone, always, has enough to eat.”

Oxfam estimates the world’s poorest people spend up to 80 percent of their income on food and producing the food we eat.

“The urgency and scale of the problem is clear and we welcome the creative ingenuity of Jonzi D who we met through Tabu Flo, a dance group from Uganda,” she continued. “Jonzi D's inspired call to action was unprompted and unscripted - he's a great man and a brilliant rapper too!"

To find out more about Oxfam’s GROW campaign and to join the conversation about food, visit: http://www.oxfam.org/food-survey