Thomas Malthus, the 18th-century cleric, must be chuckling in his grave. His grim prediction that humanity faced a future of rising food prices and mounting malnutrition has finally arrived at the centre of the international agenda. But the summit in Rome has all the hallmarks of a sideshow to the real malnutrition crisis.
Maize and rice prices have almost doubled in the past year.
World leaders have turned a blind eye for too long. Each year about 3,5-million children lose their lives as a result of malnutrition. About a third of children in developing countries aged under five have minds and bodies impaired by hunger.
The $1,2-billion facility proposed by the World Bank for investment in social safety nets, rapid delivery of seeds and fertilisers for small farmers and balance-of-payments support to help poor countries manage higher food import costs makes sense. What’s missing is a concerted effort to tackle the real drivers of the crisis.
The $7-billion spent annually in the US on federal subsidies for maize-based biofuels brought windfall gains for American farmers, with zero benefits for reduced carbon emissions. The diversion of maize from international markets accounts for about a third of the price increase, supplementing the pressures associated with rising demand in India and China.
One reason so many of the poorest countries face an interlocking hunger and balance-of-payments crisis is their dependence on food imports. Across Africa local production of crops has been displaced by imported food.
Reduced self-reliance is driven by many factors. Putting in place a WTO agreement that stops rich countries dumping surpluses, opens up their agricultural markets and allows poor countries to protect their producers is a vital ingredient for any viable long-term recovery strategy. We urgently need a “new deal” to address the long-term problems that hold poor farmers back, marginalise the poor and perpetuate hunger. The sticking plasters on offer in Rome are not fit for this purpose. — Guardian News & Media Ltd 2008