Résumé en français : la faim dans le monde touche aujourd'hui 1 personne sur 6, un pic sans précédent depuis 40 ans.

According to a new report carried out by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation, the number of people in the world suffering from hunger has reached a staggering one billion, that is to say one sixth of the world’s population. The economic slump has pushed the number to a 40-year high - there are more undernourished people today than at any time since 1970. It looked like the tide was finally turning for the better in the 1980s and early 1990s, as number of undernourished people fell. But in 1995 it took a turn for the worse. Since then, factors such as the soar in food prices two years ago, political and structural changes, and the current economic crisis have led to a sharp rise in the world’s poor. Last year, 46 million extra people had less to live on than $1.25 every day, thus falling below the UN poverty benchmark.

The immediate problem is that short-term financial credits given to poor countries have been cut off or lowered due to the economic crisis. Developing countries need the credits in order to buy food on the market. They are vulnerable to price changes in international markets.
In addition, the rise in unemployment has meant that foreign workers are less able to send money home.

Climate change could also make things worse. According to a recent study, by 2080, Africa’s farming production will have reduced by 12 per cent due to the effects of global warming. Some countries could see output fall by as much as 60 per cent.

Although the Third World has had significant problems for many years, the soar in food prices two years ago, sparked by a serious drought in Australia which halved the country’s wheat harvest, added another blow. And other changes in food consumption were just as important. China, India, Russia and Brazil are growing in prosperity, which means that they eat more and eat differently. Since 1980, the demand for meat in developing countries has doubled. In China, it is up 150 per cent. Cattles and chickens are fed on corn, which has meant that the price of cereals has been forced up. Moreover, part of the crops is now grown to produce biofuels. Food prices hit a record high between 2006 and 2008, and they are still 80 per cent higher than four years ago.

The big question now is what can be done? If the world’s grain were distributed fairly, each one of its inhabitants would have 2,500 calories a day, enough to live on. The problem comes from its distribution. Experts believe that a significant increase in aid (over 5 times the amount that is currently given) is needed for irrigation, roads, modern machinery, training for farmers, fertilisers, seeds and technology. This would raise both production and productivity. In addition, trade policy needs to change - poor farmers currently lose out when selling high-value products to the West because of the accompanying taxes and tariffs. Another problem is the over-production of certain foods in the West that are sold in developing countries, putting the native farmers in a dificult situation. The OECD spent $265bn on subsidies for farmers in the West last year, much more than the $4bn spent on aid to agriculture in developing countries. Research also shows that empowering women in the Third World is one of the biggest keys to reducing world hunger.

Decisions made at the upcoming UN World Food Summit and the UN climate change conference in December hold the key to the future of millions of people.