UN Food and Agriculture Organization calls for increased agricultural investment to ensure food security
UN Food and Agriculture Organization calls for increased agricultural investment to guarantee food security
At present, 31 countries around the world urgently need emergency food aid, and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization is calling for --
The World Summit on Food Security is scheduled to be held from November 16 to 18 at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters in Rome, the capital of Italy. Leaders of the participating countries will consult on how to revitalize agriculture and strengthen world food security, and seek consensus. In its report "Crop Prospects and Food Situation" published on the eve of this conference, the FAO said that although the world will have a bumper grain harvest in 2009, some poor countries that rely on food imports are still threatened by high food prices. At present, the food security situation in 31 countries around the world is not optimistic, and they urgently need emergency assistance. The FAO said that although governments around the world all face financial pressure, agricultural investment and safety guarantee systems remain important means of effectively reducing food insecurity, both now and in the future.
High food prices pose a threat to poor countries
The FAO report pointed out that although international food prices have fallen sharply from their high levels two years ago, wheat and corn prices rose in October this year, and rice export prices remain higher than before the food crisis.
The report said that the food security situation in Africa is severe. Among these, the situation in East Africa is especially serious. Various factors such as drought, regional instability, and tariff barriers causing distortions in food trade have made the food security situation in this region very worrying. About 20 million people in the region must rely on international food aid to survive. For example, Kenya's corn output this year is expected to decrease by 30% compared with last year. In West Africa, rainfall is below the historical average, and this year's grain harvest is expected to be worse than last year.
At present, food prices in many countries in West Africa are even higher than during the food crisis two years ago. In the markets of Bamako, the capital of Mali, Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, and Niamey, the capital of Niger, the price of millet is 35%, 42%, and 21% higher respectively than at the same period two years ago, and the price of imported rice is also about 22%-46% higher. The FAO warned that reduced grain production in Nigeria may cause food prices to rise further across West Africa. In Southern Africa, although this year's grain harvest was bumper, food prices in some countries remain high. The food situation in North Africa is slightly better, and wheat output is expected to reach a record high of 21.5 million tons, a sharp increase over last year.
In addition, rice output in Asia this year is also expected to decrease, because since July, abnormal weather and natural disasters have reduced agricultural output in major rice-producing countries such as India, Japan, South Korea, Laos, and Sri Lanka.
Developing countries need 44 billion US dollars in aid each year
According to FAO estimates, the number of hungry and undernourished people in the world this year reached 1.02 billion, the highest since 1970, and the increase is still continuing. Persistently high food prices are one of the important reasons for the rise in the number of hungry people worldwide. In addition, the benefits brought by falling world grain prices have also been offset by the slowdown in global economic growth.
In response to the current severe food security situation, FAO Director-General Diouf pointed out on the eve of the World Food Security Summit that 70% of the world's poor people live in rural areas, and neglecting investment in agricultural projects is an important cause of hunger. In global overseas development assistance, the proportion of aid to agricultural development has fallen from 17% in the 1980s to 3.8% in 2006. Increasing investment in agriculture is the most concrete and practical goal for solving the food security problem, especially increasing investment in smallholder farmers in poor countries. Increasing agricultural investment will also be the focus of this food security summit.
Diouf also said that developing countries need 44 billion US dollars in overseas development assistance each year to ensure food security. Developing countries themselves should also increase the proportion of their budgets invested in agricultural infrastructure construction, and should also encourage the development of private investment projects. At present, some countries are already committed to raising the proportion of aid to agricultural development, and countries around the world are also paying increasing attention to developing agricultural projects.
At present, developed countries and developing countries have reached consensus on the main aspects of solving the food security problem, namely that poor countries need to develop their own economies and master advanced policy tools to improve agricultural productivity; agricultural investment must increase, because for most poor countries, a healthy agricultural sector is crucial to overcoming hunger and poverty and is a prerequisite for comprehensive economic growth. The international community has the technical means and resources to eliminate hunger in the world, and what is needed now is political will.
The World Summit on Food Security is scheduled to be held from November 16 to 18 at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters in Rome, the capital of Italy. Leaders of the participating countries will consult on how to revitalize agriculture and strengthen world food security, and seek consensus. In its report "Crop Prospects and Food Situation" published on the eve of this conference, the FAO said that although the world will have a bumper grain harvest in 2009, some poor countries that rely on food imports are still threatened by high food prices. At present, the food security situation in 31 countries around the world is not optimistic, and they urgently need emergency assistance. The FAO said that although governments around the world all face financial pressure, agricultural investment and safety guarantee systems remain important means of effectively reducing food insecurity, both now and in the future.
High food prices pose a threat to poor countries
The FAO report pointed out that although international food prices have fallen sharply from their high levels two years ago, wheat and corn prices rose in October this year, and rice export prices remain higher than before the food crisis.
The report said that the food security situation in Africa is severe. Among these, the situation in East Africa is especially serious. Various factors such as drought, regional instability, and tariff barriers causing distortions in food trade have made the food security situation in this region very worrying. About 20 million people in the region must rely on international food aid to survive. For example, Kenya's corn output this year is expected to decrease by 30% compared with last year. In West Africa, rainfall is below the historical average, and this year's grain harvest is expected to be worse than last year.
At present, food prices in many countries in West Africa are even higher than during the food crisis two years ago. In the markets of Bamako, the capital of Mali, Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, and Niamey, the capital of Niger, the price of millet is 35%, 42%, and 21% higher respectively than at the same period two years ago, and the price of imported rice is also about 22%-46% higher. The FAO warned that reduced grain production in Nigeria may cause food prices to rise further across West Africa. In Southern Africa, although this year's grain harvest was bumper, food prices in some countries remain high. The food situation in North Africa is slightly better, and wheat output is expected to reach a record high of 21.5 million tons, a sharp increase over last year.
In addition, rice output in Asia this year is also expected to decrease, because since July, abnormal weather and natural disasters have reduced agricultural output in major rice-producing countries such as India, Japan, South Korea, Laos, and Sri Lanka.
Developing countries need 44 billion US dollars in aid each year
According to FAO estimates, the number of hungry and undernourished people in the world this year reached 1.02 billion, the highest since 1970, and the increase is still continuing. Persistently high food prices are one of the important reasons for the rise in the number of hungry people worldwide. In addition, the benefits brought by falling world grain prices have also been offset by the slowdown in global economic growth.
In response to the current severe food security situation, FAO Director-General Diouf pointed out on the eve of the World Food Security Summit that 70% of the world's poor people live in rural areas, and neglecting investment in agricultural projects is an important cause of hunger. In global overseas development assistance, the proportion of aid to agricultural development has fallen from 17% in the 1980s to 3.8% in 2006. Increasing investment in agriculture is the most concrete and practical goal for solving the food security problem, especially increasing investment in smallholder farmers in poor countries. Increasing agricultural investment will also be the focus of this food security summit.
Diouf also said that developing countries need 44 billion US dollars in overseas development assistance each year to ensure food security. Developing countries themselves should also increase the proportion of their budgets invested in agricultural infrastructure construction, and should also encourage the development of private investment projects. At present, some countries are already committed to raising the proportion of aid to agricultural development, and countries around the world are also paying increasing attention to developing agricultural projects.
At present, developed countries and developing countries have reached consensus on the main aspects of solving the food security problem, namely that poor countries need to develop their own economies and master advanced policy tools to improve agricultural productivity; agricultural investment must increase, because for most poor countries, a healthy agricultural sector is crucial to overcoming hunger and poverty and is a prerequisite for comprehensive economic growth. The international community has the technical means and resources to eliminate hunger in the world, and what is needed now is political will.