South Africa imports all its rice and half its wheat so the exchange rate is a factor to watch
Decades before today’s migrants boarded small boats to Europe to ‘take their jobs’, European fishing ships were trawling West African waters, taking food and jobs from the locals. And they still are
The effects of the war in Ukraine have brought much of the world’s attention to energy prices. But food insecurity is also rising and will likely get worse
There is a lot bearing down on South African consumers and, without growth, the economy stands to decline
The Food and Agriculture Organisation’s QU Dongyu says food systems have to be transformed to make them more resilient and inclusive.
There’s a new plague in town — and this time it’s biblical
Makenete has a wealth of experience in the agricultural sector
The continent’s farmers have to become more resilient to survive changing climate patterns and extreme weather events
Programmes to promote gender equality and counter poverty gain ground
There were some African food security initiatives from 2017 that deserve a special mention for the precedent they set.
Africa is lagging behind in tackling hunger with reports showing that over 25% of Africa’s population suffer from acute undernourishment.
Couples marrying in Hong Kong and China have been swayed by conservation groups’ campaign to ban the shark fin trade.
Al-Qaeda-inspired Shebab rebels in Somalia will accept help from relief groups, lifting the two year ban on foreign aid.
Australia, Canada and Singapore joined a list of countries shunning Japanese food imports as radioactive steam wafted anew from a nuclear plant.
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/ 4 February 2011
United Nations food agencies on Friday warned that record high prices for basic commodities are helping generate unrest around the world.
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/ 4 February 2011
Global food prices tracked by a UN agency hit their highest level on record in January, a problem set to worsen after a massive snowstorm in the US.
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/ 11 October 2010
The United Nations food agency, the FAO, opened high-level talks in Rome on Monday aimed at tackling food insecurity and price shocks.
UN official spells out how lobby groups stall and water down progressive regulation.
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/ 18 November 2009
The UN says the Horn of Africa is one of the most critical hunger areas in the world, with 23-million people not getting enough to eat.
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/ 16 November 2009
A UN summit on food security vowed on Monday to take ”urgent action” to eliminate hunger affecting more than one billion people worldwide.
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/ 12 November 2009
A UN world food summit next week is likely to make little headway in the fight against hunger, with leaders simply pledging to boost agricultural aid.
Zimbabwe’s agricultural production is estimated to have risen significantly, but many people still face problems finding basic foods, the UN says.
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/ 14 October 2008
As governments pour trillions into shoring up banks, World Food Day will be marked on Thursday by calls to combat hunger and a price spiral.
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/ 4 September 2008
What happens to a nation whose people depend on the largesse of international donor agencies for their existence, once support is withdrawn?
Scientists have detected for the first time in Nigeria a new strain of the virus that causes avian influenza — also known as bird flu.
Food commodity prices have now stabilised after surging early this year while a weak dollar may reduce inflationary pressures in many countries.
The world food crisis is a tragedy frequently and passionately foretold. For years food experts warned that chronic under-investment in agriculture in developing countries, by governments and donors alike, would one day spell disaster.
A United Nations global food crisis summit risked embarrassing failure to reach any formal agreement on combating hunger threatening a billion people worldwide.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is to send up to 400 observers to this month’s run-off poll in Zimbabwe, double the number who oversaw the first round.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, whose 28-year rule has brought widespread hunger to his country, on Tuesday defended the seizure of land from white farmers, saying he is undoing a legacy of Zimbabwe’s former colonial masters. Mugabe spoke to world leaders at a United Nations summit on the global food crisis against a backdrop of sharp criticism over his participation.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe made a surprise appearance on Monday at a world food summit in Rome, drawing fierce criticism from the British government. In his first official trip abroad since elections in March, Mugabe attended the summit organised by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation.
World leaders gathered in Rome on Tuesday for a United Nations summit on food security as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged "hard decisions" and heavy investment in agriculture. "For years, falling food prices and rising production lulled the world into complacency," Ban said, adding: "Governments put off hard decisions."