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Abstract

The concept of “baby steps” is well-known among psychologists and

movie buffs alike. In the classic movie “What About Bob,” Dr. Leo Marvin

(played by Richard Dreyfuss) gives to Bob (Bill Murray), a highly dependent

and worried individual, a copy of his book Baby Steps. Dr. Marvin explains, “It

means setting small, reasonable goals for yourself. One day at a time, one tiny

step at a time—doable, accomplishable goals.” For many, the concept of “baby

steps,” methodically working on simple, constrained pieces of a problem, is a

useful approach in solving complex and difficult problems. Unfortunately, accomplishing

large goals through small increments can take a considerable

amount of time and coordination. And, in the case of solving world hunger, time

is up. Prior attempts to address the issue of hunger have been based on baby

steps, and now we must abandon such incremental approaches and focus on

large-scale changes. Otherwise, the world will soon see a food crisis like never

before. The first part of the paper asserts that increased access to financing is

needed for smallholder farmers to help boost farm productivity and reduce food

scarcity. The second part, describes a new protocol to an existing convention,

the Cape Town Convention (defined below), that some argue will benefit agriculture

financing. The paper concludes by considering the actual impact the new

protocol would have on small farmers’ ability to reduce food and asserts that

while the protocol might end up being a successful one, it is still just a baby step

toward the stated goal of eliminating world hunger.

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