Global Food Crisis High on U.N. Summit Agenda

ANCHOR:
The agenda of the United Nations Summit in Rome was initially on the risks of food security and climate change, but the current global food crisis became the inevitable focus of the meeting. Security was tight as the world leaders arrived at the summit. Here's more.

STORY:
As world leaders arrive at the summit in Rome, human rights activists and the World Bank demand action to curb soaring prices that are pushing an estimated 100 million people into hunger.

Italian security have had a strong presence around the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) building.

The cost of major food commodities has doubled over the last couple of
years, with rice, corn and wheat at record highs. Prices have hit their
highest levels in 30 years. Some people have to spend more than half their income on food-- provoking protests and riots in some developing countries.
Delegates will discuss a range of issues such as aid, trade and
technology to improve farm yields. But hunger campaigners have singled out
biofuels -- often made by converting food crops into fuel -- as a prime
culprit of the food crisis.
Although the United States is channeling about a quarter of its
maize crop into ethanol production by 2022, and the European Union plans to
get 10 percent of auto fuel from bio-energy by 2020. Biofuel supporters say
the effect on global food prices is small.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Shafer says biofuels account for only about 3 percent of the total food price rise. Oxfam says the real impact is about 30 percent.

Brazil, a pioneer in sugar-cane based biofuels, is set to defend the use of biofuels
at the summit. Its foreign minister, Celso Amorim, said fair trade and the
abolition of rich countries' subsidies to farmers were crucial issues at the
summit.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• ntd
• global
• food
• crisis
• U.N
• United
• nation
• summit
• climate
• change
• world
• leaders

[hotsatsuma]

RESPECT

In sending respect to the World Bank I ask for the same respect be given to the nations who become vulnerable by your strategies and policies.

jsf

[ubuibiok]

Lower the US Farmers cost of Fuel and Fertilizer if you want to begin to lower food cost...then all of you who want to eat it, just drive up to the Barn and pick up you order of wheat or corn and drag it home, at your own expense.

In the mean time, my equipment runs of Bio Diesel and its cheaper too use the OPEC OIL.

Quote from an American Farmer.

[stonerj0e]

including poor people...

[jspence345]

If the world didnt have to pay 130 USD per barrel for something that cost 10 USD to produce then the drive for biofuels would lessen and the cost of food would normalize.