A billion hungry people

Book excerpt: The food price increases of 2007 and 2008 focused attention on a global food crisis that was already affecting more than 850 million people. Even before the 2008 food riots, some 16,000 children were dying every day from hunger-related causes - one every five seconds. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that by the end of 2008, rising prices had added 109 million to the ranks of the hungry. Today, about one in six of the world's population goes short of food, almost a billion people. Although food prices fell in the final months of 2008, they remain above the long-term trend and are likely to do so for the foreseeable future. Two growing threats are likely to exarcerbate the problem of hunger: climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of hazards such as floods, drought, and tropical cyclones that destroy crops, livestock, and livelihoods; and the global recession looks set to further increase the number of people going hungry because of its impact on employment, incomes, and public spending. The rapid and unpredictable fluctuations in food prices, exacerbated by volatile oil markets and increasing weather hazards, are a major challenge. Poor consumers in developing countries cannot buy food when prices rise, while sharply falling prices can destroy farmers' livelihoods and result in uncertainty that deters them from investing in increased production.