May 27

Real Costs Of Rising Food Prices

Food, food supply and food security Trackbacks (0)

Agflation: The Real Costs of Rising Food Prices
News coverage of the causes and effects of rising world food prices, with news stories, graphics, photos, data, maps, videos, polls, and blog posts. Topics include specific crops (such as rice and corn) and specific countries, food aid, hunger, and the effect of biofuel production. From Reuters.
URL: http://www.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/agflation
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/26105

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May 27

Oakland Institute

Poverty Economic conditions and policy Human Rights Food, food supply and food security Agriculture Trackbacks (0)
The Oakland Institute is a policy think tank whose mission is to increase public participation and promote fair debate on critical social, economic and environmental issues in both national and international forums.

The Oakland Institute’s trademark is to work in coalitions and networks to strengthen social movements, especially as we forge multi-cultural, cross-border and cross-class alliances. As a policy think tank our work is unique (in that we are bringing new approaches to social change including the awareness of economic, social and cultural rights) as we work with grass roots constituency (faith-based, farm workers, immigrant rights groups, Black farmers, among others) and help bridge policy think tanks with activist networks and social movements.

The Institute engages in three main areas of interrelated program work:

1. Bringing a social and economic human rights lens to organizing and policy work

2. Reframing the debate on security

3. Building strategic alliances to strengthen popular struggles nationally and internationally

The Institute addresses this work through education and advocacy activities in national and international forums. Our aim is not just to come up with a list of new policy solutions but to reframe the basic terms on which public debate takes place. Our goal is to stimulate public discussion and debate while creating an informed citizenry that can craft a new vision of action for the future.

http://www.oaklandinstitute.org/
May 27

Stuffed And Starved: Sites On Global Food Crisis

Food, food supply and food security Trackbacks (0)

This companion blog to a book of the same name provides updates about the global food crisis. Topics include rice-affected countries, food riots, hunger in America, biofuels, and more. Blog entries go back to November 2006. Also includes a list of "ten things that we all can do to promote justice and food sovereignty" and links to related sites. From an author and consultant.
URL: http://stuffedandstarved.org/drupal/frontpage
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/26107

Global Food Crisis
URL: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/GlobalFoodCrisis?Readform
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/26084

Description:
Compilation of material from 2008 about rising food prices, food security, and contributing factors to the world food situation. Includes updates, maps, key documents, FAQs, data, and resources for further information. From ReliefWeb, administered by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

 

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May 22

UNAIDS Policy Brief On Food Security

United Nations Aids and HIV Food, food supply and food security Trackbacks (0)
The Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO), have developed a policy brief on HIV, food security and nutrition (short version, pdf, 244KB; expanded version, pdf, 247KB). As food insecurity and poor nutrition can hasten the progression of AIDS related illnesses, and the virus itself reduces the capacity of people living with HIV to work to provide food for themselves and their families, the policy provides guidance for governments, civil society and other partners on how to address food and nutrition concerns in the context of HIV.

UN Pulse Permanent Link: UNAIDS policy brief on food security

May 21

Food Price Crisis: Five Steps

Food, food supply and food security Trackbacks (0)

Tackling the food price crisis: five steps

Thursday, May 08, 2008 11:06 AM by Simon Maxwell, Overseas Development Institute

...The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has set up a special task force led by Sir John Holmes, Under-Secretary General, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. It is possible to propose five key steps for the Task Force...

ODI blog 

May 16

UN Human Rights Council - 7th Special Session On Food Crisis

United Nations Afghanistan Human Rights Food, food supply and food security Trackbacks (0)

Human Rights Council - 7th special session on food crisis

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights OHCHR has announced that Human Rights Council will hold a Special Session on "the negative impact on the realization of the right to food of the worsening world food crisis, caused inter alia by the soaring food prices", on Friday, 23 May. As of 9 May 2008 this 7th special session was requested by a group of 41 Council Members and 41 non Members.
Related UN Pulse entries: World Food Crisis; World Food Situation Portal; Food Prices and the Rural Poor; Food - Who Pays the Price?. 

From: UN Pulse Permanent Link: Human Rights Council - 7th special session on food crisis

April 23

Food Prices And The Rural Poor. International Fund For Agricultural Development

Food, food supply and food security Rural areas IFAD Trackbacks (0)

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has gathered information from its partners and staff on the ground around the world on the impact of rising food prices on poor rural people and posted the synthesis of responses on its website.

UN Pulse Permanent Link: Food prices and the rural poor

April 18

Higher Global Food Prices And Low-Income Countries

Poverty World Bank Food, food supply and food security Trackbacks (0)

Implications of higher global food prices for poverty in low-income countries
Source: World Bank Policy Research Working Papers

In many poor countries, the recent increases in prices of staple foods raise the real incomes of those selling food, many of whom are relatively poor, while hurting net food consumers, many of whom are also relatively poor. The impacts on poverty will certainly be very diverse, but the average impact on poverty depends upon the balance between these two effects, and can only be determined by looking at real-world data. Results using household data for ten observations on nine low-income countries show that the short-run impacts of higher staple food prices on poverty differ considerably by commodity and by country, but, that poverty increases are much more frequent, and larger, than poverty reductions. The recent large increases in food prices appear likely to raise overall poverty in low income countries substantially.

+ Full Paper (PDF; 1.1 MB)

Docuticker

April 17

Rising Food Prices: Policy Options And World Bank Response (Word; 175 KB)

Policy World Bank Food, food supply and food security Trackbacks (0)

Rising food prices: Policy options and World Bank response (Word; 175 KB)
Source: World Bank

The rising trend in international food prices continued, and even accelerated, in 2008. U.S. wheat export prices rose from $375/ton in January to $440/ton in March, and Thai rice export prices increased from $365/ton to $562/ton. This came on top of a 181 percent increase in global wheat prices over the 36 months leading up to February 2008, and a 83 percent increase in overall global food prices over the same period.

Increased bio-fuel production has contributed to the rise in food prices. Concerns over oil prices, energy security and climate change have prompted governments to take a more proactive stance towards encouraging production and use of bio-fuels. This has led to increased demand for bio-fuel raw materials, such as wheat, soy, maize and palm oil, and increased competition for cropland. Almost all of the increase in global maize production from 2004 to 2007 (the period when grain prices rose sharply) went for bio-fuels production in the U.S., while existing stocks were depleted by an increase in global consumption for other uses. Other developments, such as droughts in Australia and poor crops in the E.U. and Ukraine in 2006 and 2007, were largely offset by good crops and increased exports in other countries and would not, on their own, have had a significant impact on prices. Only a relatively small share of the increase in food production prices (around 15%) is due directly to higher energy and fertilizer costs.

The observed increase in food prices is not a temporary phenomenon, but likely to persist in the medium term. Food crop prices are expected to remain high in 2008 and 2009 and then begin to decline as supply and demand respond to high prices; however, they are likely to remain well above the 2004 levels through 2015 for most food crops. Forecasts of other major organizations (FAO, OECD, and USDA) that regularly monitor and project commodity prices are broadly consistent with these projections. Predictions of high food price in the medium run are further strengthened when we factor in the impact of policies aimed at achieving energy security and reduced carbon dioxide emissions, which may present strong trade-offs with food security objectives.

Docuticker

April 11

Rising Food Prices Raise Questions About Both Food Security And Political Unrest. Scout Report

Food, food supply and food security Trackbacks (0)

Food price rises threaten global security
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/apr/09/food.unitednations

Price of rice continues record surge
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/bustech/story.html?id=c97f90bd-a2f5-40ac-a13c-b1816d7ef63e

US government ready to export rice to Philippines
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/apr/10/yehey/top_stories/20080410top2.html

Poor Thai farmers guard their fields as rice prices soar
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ixDN85un6ReW59BDwXBO_7HNB_Gg

Amber Waves: February 2008: Rising Food Prices Intensify Food Insecurity in Developing Countries [iTunes]
http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/February08/Features/RisingFood.htm

Development Gateway: Food Security [pdf]
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/foodsecurity/index.do

While the rising cost of consumer goods such as various foodstuffs can be troublesome in the United States, in other parts of the world it has the possibility to lead towards much broader social and political unrest. This was the message delivered this week by Sir John Holmes, who serves as the United Nation's top humanitarian official. At a meeting in Dubai this week, Holmes commented that escalating prices would most likely trigger protests in vulnerable nations. Holmes also remarked that "Current food price trends are likely to increase sharply both the incidence and depth of food insecurity." His comments seem to be corroborated by recent events around the world, including demonstrations about the rising price of food in Egypt, related riots in Haiti that left four people dead, and some very violent protests in Ivory Coast. Rice is one crop that officials and others are particularly concerned about, and a number of Asian countries have slowed or stopped their rice exports in order to maintain their stores for their own residents. Some countries have already agreed to send rice to places like the Philippines, and the hope is that other nations will follow suit. [KMG]

The first link will lead visitors to an excellent piece from the Guardian's David Adam which talks a bit about the recent and sustained increase in food prices. The second link will take visitors to an article from this Wednesday's Ottawa Citizen about the recent problem with rice hoarding in the Philippines. The third link will whisk visitors away to a piece from the Manila Times which talks about the United States government's decision to export rice to the Philippines to ease some of the rice shortage there. Moving on, the fourth link leads to an article which discusses the increasing problems with rice theft that farmers in Thailand are encountering. The fifth link will take users to a compelling interview with Stacey Rosen and Shahla Shapouri about the situation regarding rising food prices. The sixth and final link leads to the Development Gateway's specialized information page on food security and related issues. [KMG]

March 30

UN And The African Union; Food; And 10 Stories From 2007. UN Pulse

Africa Climate Change United Nations Health Afghanistan Child soldiers Peace and Peacekeeping Sudan Food, food supply and food security African Union Trackbacks (0)

Relationship between the UN and the African Union

 The Secretary-General recently issued a Report on the relationship between the United Nations and regional organizations, in particular the African Union, in the maintenance of international peace and security (S/2008/186). Issued in response to the Security Council presidential statement of 28 March 2007 (S/PRST/2007/7), the report considered the important issues that define the nature of collaborative partnership in international peace and security between the United Nations and regional organizations, in particular, the African Union and the division of responsibilities between them under Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations.Permanent Link: Relationship between the UN and the African UnionUN Pulse 

 

Food – Who pays the price?

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), six international panellists … consider the future of global food production in the BBC World debate “Food – Who Pays the Price?”. Learn more on the IFAD website.Permanent Link: Food – Who Pays the Price? UN Pulse  

 

 

10 Stories, 2007

 The UN Department of Public Information has launched a list of ten stories that unfolded in the course of 2007 that the world may wish to hear more about. The list includes:   
March 20

World Food Situation And Food Price Spiral

Food, food supply and food security Trackbacks (0)

World Food Situation
"This portal offers latest information on food commodity prices, supply and demand and factors that affect world food markets." Covers damaged crops, food emergencies, specific countries in crisis, food prices and volatility in agricultural commodities, climate change, and more. Provides a FAQ on rising food prices, and links to related data and reports. From the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN).
URL: http://www.fao.org/worldfoodsituation/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/25681

Special Reports: World Warned on Food Price Spiral
Series of news stories from 2008 on the rise in world food prices. "Prices are increasing sharply for some of the most basic foodstuffs traded on international commodity markets," such as wheat, corn, and soy. Provides news stories, a FAQ, charts showing food prices increases, shopping lists from six families around the world (to be revisited in the future), and related links. From BBC News.
URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/world/2008/costoffood/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/25682 

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February 23

World Food Situation Portal

Food, food supply and food security Trackbacks (0)
The United Nations Food and Agriculature Organization (FAO) has a new portal on the World Food Situation to offer the latest information on food commodity prices, supply and demand, and factors that affect world food markets. The portal brings together news, data and reports on the topic.

Permanent Link: World Food Situation Portal UN Pulse

 

February 02

African Fruits Could Help Alleviate Hunger And Bolster Rural Development, Environmental Stability In Africa

Africa Development Environment Food, food supply and food security Agriculture Trackbacks (0)

African Fruits Could Help Alleviate Hunger and Bolster Rural Development, Environmental Stability in Africa
Source: National Research Council/National Academies Press

Africa’s own fruits are a largely untapped resource that could combat malnutrition and boost environmental stability and rural development in Africa, says a new report from the National Research Council. African science institutes, policymakers, nongovernmental organizations, and individuals could all use modern horticultural knowledge and scientific research to bring these “lost crops” — such as baobab, marula, and butterfruit — to their full potential, said the panel that issued the report.

Today, tropical fruit production in Africa is dominated by species introduced from Asia and the Americas, such as bananas, pineapples, and papayas. Because these and other crops arrived on the continent centuries ago already improved through horticultural selection and breeding, they increasingly displaced the traditional species that had fed Africans for thousands of years. The imported species also received the support of colonial powers who wanted familiar crops that were profitable to grow, and indigenous fruits continued their downward spiral of dwindling cultivation and knowledge.

With renewed scientific and institutional support, however, Africa’s native fruits could make a much greater contribution to nutrition and economic development, the new report says. Fruit trees and shrubs also offer long-term benefits by improving the stability of the environment.

The report highlights 24 fruits that hold special promise; some are already being cultivated in parts of Africa, while others are harvested from the wild.

+ Lost Crops of Africa: Volume III: Fruits

Read for free online.

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October 24

Council Of Science Editors' 2007: Poverty And Human Development, Global Theme Issue

Health Development Aids and HIV Food, food supply and food security Trackbacks (0)

A total of 235 scientific journals in 37 countries participated in the Council of Science Editors’ 2007 Global Theme Issue. More than 1,000 articles are being published simultaneously, representing research in 85 countries.

Seven of the most outstanding articles from these journals addressing critical issues of global health research and policy were selected by a panel of NIH and CSE experts for presentation. New research in these articles examines interventions and projects to improve health and reduce health-care inequities among the poor. Subject areas include: childbirth safety, HIV/AIDS, malaria treatment, food insufficiency and sexual behavior, interventions to improve child survival, physician brain drain from the developing world, and influenza's impact on children.

NIH News release:
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/oct2007/fic-22.htm

"Bridging the Coverage Gap in Global Health", published by JAMA and authored by Robert B. Eiss, MA, Fogarty International Center and Roger I. Glass, Director, Fogarty International Center

List of participating journals

[PDF 138K]

List of global theme articles

[PDF 834K]

Two of the articles presented at the NIH launch 

"Food insufficiency is associated with high-risk sexual behavior among women in Botswana and Swaziland," published by PLoS Medicine and presented by Dr. Sheri Weiser, University of California San Francisco

"Human resources for treating HIV/AIDS: Needs, capacities, and gaps," published by AIDS Patient Care and STDs and presented by Dr. Salal Humair, Lahore University of Management & Sciences (Lahore, Pakistan) and Dr. Till Barnighausen, University of Kwa Zulu-Natal (South Africa)
August 23

Reports: On Climate Change; & On Food Insecurity

Climate Change Food, food supply and food security Trackbacks (0)

Climate change 2007 : climate change impacts, adaptation and vulnerability IPCC

State of food insecurity in the world (SOFI) 2006

FAO

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