Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Agenzia Fides) – Because of the present food crisis, hunger, which already affects large sectors of the world population, threatens to reach a new dramatic record level. One sixth of the people on our planet, that is, more than one billion people, suffers from hunger: this was denounced recently by the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation based in Rome. Although figures cannot tell the whole story - the daily tragedy of people who have little or nothing to eat - the issue has assumed such dimensions that it cannot be removed from the international agenda. Also because for the first time a significant presence of persons suffering from hunger is registered in rich countries.
The food crisis is connected with other major global issues: agricultural production, climate change, the economic financial crisis, international trade regulations, cooperation between the north and the south of the world, combating arms trafficking, political corruption in many poor countries. Another cause of this increase in world hunger in the past year, according to the UN is lower income at the global level and spreading unemployment. A problematic knot difficult to untangle and which is having drastic effect on millions of families and individuals every day, first of all shortage of food.
Figures issued by FAO speak clearly. The number of people in the world suffering from hunger has risen to 1.020 billion, in developed countries the quota of undernourished persons this year has reached 15 million, which means a 15.4% rise compared to 2008.
Compared with last year the number of people suffering from hunger in the world has risen by 11%, due to a combination of global financial crisis, and rising food prices. Speculation on hunger burned in the world almost 200 billion dollars for grain alone, with international quotas halved in a year from 10 dollars per bushel (0.37 dollars per kilo) last year to a little more than 5 dollars per bushel (0.18 dollars per kilo) whereas the prices of food by-products, such as bread and flour, have continued to increase in rich and in poor countries. FAO says that although prices of basic food have diminished, they are still 24% higher than in 2006 and 33% higher than in 2005.
The picture presents many dark sides on looking closer at the situation in different continental areas. In Asia and the Pacific about 642 million people are chronically undernourished; in Sub-Saharan Africa. 265 million; in Latin America and the Caribbean. 53 million; in the Near East and North Africa. 42 million; the highest increase in number of undernourished persons in developing countries was registered in the Middle East and North Africa (42 million +13.5%). Latin America and the Caribbean, the only world region which had shown some improvement, registered a marked increase in undernourished persons (53 million +12.8%). Given this alarming situation the FAO convoked another summit for heads of state and government to find ways to stop the spreading food crisis. (Mtp) (Agenzia Fides 22/6/2009; righe 38, parole 561)
