We've heard a lot about soaring food costs, and have been told some personal stories about who's affected, but this specific focus on women is needed and rarely provided.

It is clear tht the increase in food prices is causing serious problems in poor countries. But the long term problems are largely societal as described in thee story. These long term problems greatly increase the problems caused by high food prices.

This is a phenomenally good article from the Washington Post Foreign Service which describes the daily effects of the global food crisis on individuals and explains why women, predictably, bear a disproportionate burden. This particular piece follows a day in the life of a woman in West Africa's Burkina Faso. Only the hardest of hearts could not be moved by it, but unlike charity requests on TV designed to open the heart and pocketbook, this article is designed to personalize the news. It is far too easy for those in comfortable circumstances to intellectualize or otherwise remain indifferent to the plight of our global neighbors. While this piece does not explore the ramifications of long-term deprivation and malnourishment for ... More »

This is the latest in a series of articles that the Post has been doing on the Global Food Crisis. See: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/globalfoodcrisis/ for other stories in the series.