When food threatens human security

In 2007, global food prices soared by 24 percent and as a result 75 million people around the world, mostly from developing countries, were pushed into hunger and poverty. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Association (FAO), the food crisis of 2007 continued into 2008, when food prices reached a record high in June 2008 and cumulatively rose by 51 percent.

Food riots in countries like Haiti, Bangladesh and Egypt over the soaring cost of staple foods threatened human security with violent civilian protests.  And while food prices have dropped slightly since their June 2008 high, millions more are being thrust into chronic hunger and into a global economic situation that could add more fuel to an already fierce fire.

Crisis: From Wall Street to the developing world

While the food crisis continues, another crisis affecting the globe has overshadowed it: the financial crisis. With media headlines focusing on the global financial crisis and its effect on the developed world, less attention has been placed on the impact of the financial crisis on the developing world.

The financial crisis as currently reported, however, has the “potential to be far worse” than previous economic crisis because of “high food prices and food shortages, and the steady erosion of agriculture and rural economies,” warned Dr. He Changchui, the Bangkok-based FAO assistant director general and regional representative for Asia and the Pacific.

In his recent statement, Changchui stated that unlike the Great Depression of the 1930s, 1987’s Black October, and the Asian Economic Crisis of 1997, the current financial crisis coalesced with a food crisis; a conjunction that could also be exacerbated by the effects of climate change on agriculture and crops.

In fact, the FAO official stated that the result could be “catastrophic”, especially if major donor countries in the developed world cut their aid and development assistance used to fight chronic hunger, poverty and to develop agriculture in the developing world.

According to the United Nations estimates, $15 billion to $20 billion will be needed to address the food crisis affecting 923 million malnourished people worldwide. Yet, only a mere $1 to $2 billion has been disbursed so far, as pledges from donor governments and lending agencies have fallen through due to economic recession, credit crunches and governments using funds to save domestic banks and industries.

Still, the FAO’s main concern is its effect on human security: famine and disease can spread, threatening the lives of millions of malnourished individuals, while social unrest and political upheaval caused by food shortages and inflation could lead to more riots on a similar scale, or far worse than those of 2008.

Will $20 billion make a difference?

Even if donor governments and agencies miraculously find a way to meet the $20 billion estimate of the United Nations, many experts remain skeptical that this will solve the problem of food price inflation. While food prices have dropped, for many the price of food greatly exceeds earnings and is still higher than price levels seen in the recent past. In countries like Haiti, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, donor aid can only do so much. To be effective, the FAO and the international community must come together, must jointly create a plan to tackle food price inflation in the developing world. 

As FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf stated recently, “unless political will and donor pledges are turned into real and immediate action, millions more may fall into deeper poverty and chronic hunger.” And with many experts forecasting another hike in food prices later this year due to lack of investment in agriculture, it is all a “recipe for disaster”.

Read Further:

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations