By Martin Banks - 20th June 2011
We are one harvest away from a major food crisis
ActionAid
The international charity ActionAid has warned G20 ministers that the world is "one bad harvest" from a recurrence of the 2008 food crisis.
It urged EU agriculture ministers meeting in Paris later this week to take "urgent action" to stabilise food prices, including slashing biofuel production.
ActionAid says as many as 34 million people are at risk around the world from poverty and hunger if prices continue to rise.
"The ministers must act now to reverse the targets and financial incentives that are driving biofuel production," says Marie Brill, of ActionAid.
ActionAid's new report, "A second global food crisis?," highlights the most recent statistics on food production, food prices, and world hunger.
The report comes as the World Bank says an extra 44 million have been pushed into poverty by rising food prices and another 34 million are at risk if prices continue going up.
Food production has dropped by as much as 70 per cent in many rural areas in Africa owing to drought and drought-like climatic conditions.
Agriculture ministers meeting on Wednesday and Thursday will be considering a proposal from the World Food Programme (WFP) for the coordination of regional food reserves, which would target emergency supplies at the most vulnerable people.
Brill said, "This means that if prices increase too fast, they can release some grain to bring them down, and if prices are too low to keep farmers producing food, they can buy up crops to tighten the markets.
"With buffer reserves, governments can stop the crises before it starts."
Activists are also calling on G20 ministers to examine the potential of buffer reserves, to allow regions or countries to shift "price drivers" before a crisis develops.
Brill added, "We are one harvest away from a major food crisis which will push tens of millions more poor people into hunger and destitution.
"The price of food staples like maize and wheat has doubled in the past year. We can't wait until there are hungry children on our TV screens before we take action."
"Biofuels are not the answer to the climate and energy crises and our increasing addiction to them is robbing people of basic food security. The world cannot let some starve so that others can drive."
