World leaders met in Rome last November at the World Food Summit to take action on the global problem of food security. The 1997 teleconference topic, World Food Summit: Promises and Prospects, provides an opportunity to review what was promised at Rome and what follow-up is taking place. It is time to ask five basic questions about the Summit and its implications:

1. What was the status of food security at Summit time? Summit documents and preparatory meetings provided the baseline against which progress can be measured.
2. What was promised at Rome? World leaders agreed to certain goals and non-governmental organizations offered proposals. Together, these form the targets for Summit implementation.
3. What follow-up measures are underway to implement Summit goals? Immediate post-Summit actions are crucial to the establishment of an effective, long-term process.
4. What are the prospects for world food security? World hunger is a complex and multi-faceted problem calling for unprecedented and unremitting commitment by all sectors of the global society.
5. What is the role of grassroots activists in achieving food security for all? All stakeholders are called upon to support services to meet immediate need as well as to seek long-term solutions.

The status of world food insecurity at Summit time is the easiest question to answer. The size of the world hunger problem was described as numbingly large: 800 million people — or roughly one of every seven people on the face of the earth at the time of the meeting — were chronically undernourished. Of these, 200 million were estimated to be children under the age of five. About 13 million of them die every year, according to one estimate by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), "as a direct and indirect consequence of hunger and malnutrition and from infection." Further, another 2 billion people suffer from various micro-nutrient deficiencies — so called hunger.

In the United States, according to one study, one in nine Americans experiences undernourishment. The number of Americans who cannot count on adequate food was roughly 30 million. Less severe pockets of poverty can be found in Western Europe.

The promises held out at Rome fall into two categories, governmental and NQO. Despite widespread agreement on the dimensions of the food security problem, division formed over what actions should be taken to find solutions. In the end, governments adopted a Rome Declaration on World Food Security and a World Food Summit Plan of Action by "consensus" and world leaders signed a "Book of Honor." By contrast, a statement by the NQO Forum, a parallel meeting of non-governmental representatives, proposed a strong alternative approach.

The official Plan of Action, for example, only promised to reduce the number of undernourished people to half their present number by 2015, compared to an NGO call for a target of total elimination. The combined body of commitments and proposals offers action targets on a broad range of issues and conditions affecting both access and the long-term availability of the food supply.

Follow-up varies greatly, according to sector and country. On a global scale, the Committee on Food Security (CFS) of FAO has been tasked with monitoring Summit implementation. NGOs, disappointed by the official Plan of Action, are starting to form a worldwide coalition to work for active implementation of anti-hunger goals, by the civil society and by governments.

Each country is expected to devise national action plans. The U.S., for example, has embarked on a joint planning process, involving government and non-governmental sectors. Earlier this year 1 7 simultaneous consultations were held around the country to allow a broad airing of concerns and interests by representatives of civil society and the private sector. The findings of these consultations were merged at a "synthesis" meeting in June. This body of information will be used by parallel writing teams, government and non-governmental, each of which will be preparing draft language for a U.S. Action Plan on Food Security. It is hoped that the two drafts will be brought together into a consensus statement of principles and proposed actions, representing the best thinking of all stakeholders.

Prospects depend on the willingness of all stakeholders, at all levels, to commit themselves to a total collaborative effort on many fronts. Locally, it will take community action to address local problems, monitor progress and press the central government to lend a hand. Nationally, each government will need to face realistically and honestly a range of critical, interdependent issues and make commitments to carry out related policies, short-term and long-term. Active prodding by its citizenry will be important. Internationally, governments, multinational institutions, the private sector and NGOs (all levels) must seek to form strategic coalitions to consult, plan and implement projects and programs, especially in the most severely affected situations.

There are multiple roles for citizens, especially in the United States. America's policies affect the fate of food security not only for its own citizens but for people around the world. Anti-hunger advocates must count on the yeasty force of grassroots support and consciousness-raising if the U.S. government is to effectively use America's super power status to achieve the goals of the Summit. Commitments observed or ignored now will set the pace of international implementation for years to come. Similarly, U.S. activists will need a critical mass of grassroots support and participation if food security is to apply to all at home.

The moment affords an unprecedented opportunity for effective citizen participation in all phases of the hunger problem, from international coalitions to community food security task forces.  Pockets of hunger are ubiquitous in the United States so virtually every caring person can get involved and make a difference. A starting point could be to form a small group of interested citizens/students to evaluate the level of food security in your community. Some of the key indicators or topics to be considered include:

• Access to Food. Investigate adequacy of supermarkets, transportation availability, product selection, equitable pricing, etc.
• Hunger and Nutrition. Subjects such as income levels, number of households needing emergency food sources, rates of diet-related diseases, etc.
• Community Resources. Prevalence of urban gardens, farmer's markets, cooperative buying programs, nutrition education programs, technical assistance for households, etc.
• Local Agriculture. Availability and quality of farmland and use of sustainable agricultural practices, direct marketing opportunities for local producers, status of local soil, water and environmental conditions, etc.
• Public Policy. Community attitudes toward land use and community development, public funding for needed services, planning and coordination among public and private agencies.

Volunteers to do surveys or hunger maps, provide community services, monitor the quality and delivery of services, research and advocate for creative answers, and in general provide a supportive climate for achieving a commitment to food security for all are always needed. While people may differ over policy, all can agree that food is basic and should be everyone's active concern.