Urgent call for united action on hunger by IFRC Secretary-General Bekele Geleta 8:28am 23rd Sep, 2011   Geneva 22/09/11    The world’s poorest people are at serious risk from rocketing food prices and volatile global markets, warns a new report by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).    A new round of food inflation and severe hikes in the price of basic foodstuffs such as rice, maize, wheat, oil, sugar and salt is plunging many of the world’s poorest people, including millions across the Horn of Africa, into deeper poverty and into situations of severe hunger and malnourishment.    The worst hit are poor people who typically spend up to 80 per cent of their incomes on food.    “Food prices are hitting the alarming highs of the 2008 crisis, with the poorest of the poor being hit the hardest,” said IFRC Secretary-General Bekele Geleta.    “It’s profoundly concerning that we seem to be going backwards in terms of ensuring basic food is available and affordable” he added.    Speculative commodity trading, rapidly growing populations, climate change and a sharp decrease in domestic agricultural production due to lack of appropriate investment and ineffective governance, are just some of the leading causes fuelling a new round of food inflation concludes the report.    The recent bursting of the US property bubble has led to a surge in global investors seeking new opportunities in the food-commodity futures. “Global financial and trade speculations can have a dangerous impact on food prices,” said Geleta adding that food stocks were often being bought up by traders and stored away in depots and warehouses waiting for high profits.    “It’s unacceptable that a trader in London or New York can determine whether or not a father in a country such as India can afford to feed his family,” he said.    According to The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the price of a 90 kilogram bag of maize, the main food source for most Kenyans, jumped from about $16 in June 2010 to about $44 in July 2011 -- an increase of 160%. Sugar prices increased by 19.43% between June 2011 and last month.    More investment in agriculture is essential. There is widespread agreement that smallholder farming is one of the best way forward in Africa.    “Governments and donors should invest more in agriculture and give a helping hand to farmers,” said Geleta, himself Ethiopian-born. “It’s not just food that is becoming expensive, the price of new technologies, seeds, fertilizers and fuel needed to transport food is also going up.    We need to boost the agricultural sector as a way of protecting people who find themselves at the mercy of inflation and the global stock markets.”    The report also highlights growing fears that the rise in food prices could reach a violent tipping point and become a dangerous source of instability in many countries.    The recent uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa were fuelled, amongst other factors, by an increase in the price of food and general cost of living. In September 2010, 13 people were killed in “food riots” in Mozambique.    “It seems the global volatility of food prices is here to stay, and the era of cheap food is over, “ said Geleta urging governments and donors to ensure that the most vulnerable people are better prepared to cope with unstable agricultural markets and volatile food prices.    22 September 2011    The World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the United Nations have joined forces with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) as the IFRC’s annual World Disasters Report (WDR) 2011 is launched in New York.    The 2011 WDR focuses on the persistent problem of hunger and malnutrition and outlines some of the underlying causes of food insecurity which need to be urgently addressed by governments and donors alike. The fundamental question raised throughout the report is why an estimated one billion people still go to bed hungry each night, despite the world producing enough food for everyone.    “This year’s WDR comes at a particularly timely moment, with millions still suffering from hunger and malnutrition in the Horn of Africa,” said Bekele Geleta, Ethiopian-born IFRC Secretary General, in New York for the launch.    “It is essential we keep the spotlight on hunger and ensure the terrible scenes from Ethiopia in the 1980s, and now in the Horn of Africa, are not repeated time and again. We need to seriously re-think the current global food system and ensure a fairer distribution of food across the world.”    The root causes of hunger are multiple and complex concludes the WDR report, citing a lack of investment in agriculture, rising food prices, climate change and food commodity market speculation as major factors contributing to chronic problems of severe hunger and malnutrition. An estimated three million children die before they reach the age of five as a result of under nutrition.    “As this year’s WDR highlights, an estimated 178 million under-fives are suffering from stunted growth as a result of lack of food and under-nutrition,” said David Nabarro, UN Special Representative for Food Security and Nutrition.    “This not only impacts on today’s children but will also have profound health, social and economic implications for the future. This is an avoidable tragedy; we are now seeing a stronger focus on sustainable solutions to prevent both hunger and poor nutrition.”    Greater investment in the agricultural sector is one major proposal explored in the report which argues that more must be done to support local farmers and small scale agricultural enterprises, particularly in light of the rising costs of seeds and fertilizers. Half the world’s food supply and 90 per cent of the food grown in Africa is grown by small farmers.    The role of women in agriculture is also examined in the report, with research showing that targeted investment in female farmers can improve yields by as much as 30 per cent.    “Only if we bolster agriculture and rural development in poor countries, and close the gender gap in agriculture as recommended by FAOs 2011 SOFA report, farmers and herders will be able to produce food and to adapt to challenges such as food price volatility, drought and climate change,” said Lila Ratsifandrihamanana, Director of the FAO New York Liaison Office.    "We must work together to break the cycle of hunger and build resiliency for the world"s hungry poor," added WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran. "WFP"s action on food safety nets and local food purchase and production are powerful tools to empower people in disasters."    In addition to a decline in crop production, a new round of food inflation in 2010-2011 has pushed nearly 110 million people into the ranks of the undernourished. The factors behind the inflation are varied and difficult to pinpoint, but a reduction in global food stocks, climate change and financial speculation have all been factors behind the ongoing volatility of food markets.    “High and volatile food prices are likely to continue in the near future with the poorest of the poor being most at risk,” said the FAO’s Ratsifandrihamanana.    “We have the resources, technologies and know-how to ensure food security for all and prevent human tragedies like the one we are witnessing today in the Horn of Africa. We must save lives and livelihoods.” Visit the related web page
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