Maravi

World hunger crisis is imminent, warns FAO

World hunger crisis is imminent, warns FAO
By Kabanda Chulu
Fri 13 Nov. 2009, 04:00 CAT

FOOD and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) director general Jacques Diouf yesterday warned that a world hunger crisis is imminent due to lack of concrete plans of action by several countries in addressing droughts and changes in weather patterns.

And Diouf has challenged countries to consider looking at small-scale farmers as capital and not as burdens when allocating resources in the national budget.

During a video tele-conference in Lusaka ahead of next Monday’s world summit on food security themed ‘Hunger summit’ to be held in Rome, Italy, Diouf said there was need to take urgent action against hunger which was afflicting over one billion people around the world.

He said the high interest on global economic and food crisis that dominated headlines last year seemed to be fading away due to the rise in other pressing issues on the international agenda.

“Despite good harvests in 2009, many poor countries are still experiencing higher food prices which show that ending hunger is utopian and a daunting task but we can end hunger and leaders should be encouraged to take practical measures,” Diouf said.

“We have more than one billion reasons to end hunger and the one billion figures for those who are hungry can rise since it is compounded by diseases and other factors hence the global hunger crisis should not be forgotten and it will emerge anytime due to lack of concrete plans of actions in addressing droughts and changes in weather patterns.”

He said the figure of one billion people facing hunger today presents the seriousness of the situation.

“Where there is a will there is always a way and supporting small scale farmers should be the first step since these farmers are the most efficient and effective in ending hunger and we should view small- scale farmers as our capital and not our burden because they are capable of wiping hunger from the earth considering their huge figure of over two billion people out of the global population of about six billion,” said Diouf.

Labels: FAO, HUNGER, JACQUES DIOUF

posted by MrK @ 3:55 PM