Rome-based UN Agencies Issue Joint Statement on High Food Prices
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food
Program (WFP) have released a joint statement on Food Prices appealing for
swift coordinated action to tackle the root causes of high food prices and hunger.
Sharp increases in the prices of maize, wheat and soya beans
have sparked fears of a repeat of the 2007-2008 world food crisis. According to
the statement from the three Rome-based agencies, increases in population,
demand and climate change were cited as the main challenges.
We have 80million more mouths to feed every year while at
the same time, land under agriculture is shrinking and natural disasters such
as droughts and floods are having a severe damage on field crops. In addition,
only a handful number of countries are large producers of staple food
commodities. There are competing demands between producing for food, feed and
fuel.
Already we do not produce enough to meet the food market
demands and that is what is driving food prices over the roof.
The statement emphasized on taking the focus out of the
symptoms and deal with the disease. This includes capturing the important needs
of smallholder farmers and following them up to the national levels to
influence Agricultural policies. Cutting out middlemen will put more money in
the pockets of farmers and this can be achieved through having more
transparency in the markets. M-Farm is already on the ground empowering
smallholder farmers with the daily price information and connecting farmers directly
with buyers. Visit our website to learn more.
What we need to do is to invest much more in Agriculture
especially in small-scale farmers to increase their productivity, give them
access to more markets and reduce their exposure to risks.
Once we get this right, we will zero hunger in the world.
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