Dear United States President Barack Obama, and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon:

In spite of international attempts to resolve hunger by subsidizing the production of food in greater quantity, it remains a global problem. The World Food Programme estimates that there are 963 million undernourished people in the world, or one of every seven people. The Global Humanitarian Forum estimates that roughly 45 million people currently affected by chronic hunger are suffering due to climate change -- a number expected to double in the next 20 years.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Oliver De Schutter, states: "Increasing agricultural production must go hand in hand with increasing the incomes of the poorest, particularly small-scale farmers, and switching to modes of production which do not contribute to climate change."

We must change the way we look at food production and distribution. To support an inalienable right to food, we ask that investments in agriculture such as farming subsidies be made in a thoughtful manner to best benefit those vulnerable to poverty and hunger. These efforts should not only provide more food, they should also create economically sustainable communities in which food production and distribution play an integral role. We ask that these investments be environmentally as well as socially responsible, supporting and rewarding environmentally sustainable practices.

We call upon you, as representatives of our national and international community, to take action to establish "The Right to Food" as an inalienable human right and an immediate political priority.