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	Ban issues call to action to tackle ‘forgotten’ global food crisis by United Nations / Institute of Development Studies   Jan 2009   The global food crisis has slipped from the headlines but the emergency remains as critical as ever, demanding improvements in production and distribution, and credit, seeds and fertilizers for developing countries, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has warned.   “The food crisis has not gone away. Millions of people still experience it every day,” Mr. Ban said at the Madrid conference on food security.   “Prices may have fallen somewhat on global markets, but they nonetheless remain close to their 2008 peaks in many poor countries. The sheer volatility of prices makes it difficult for farmers to invest and plan; the global credit crunch compounds the problem.   Across the developing world – and even in wealthy nations – the purchasing power of poor and middle-income families has declined with slowing economic growth. The numbers of hungry people unable to exercise their right to food stands at over one billion people. At least fifty million are malnourished children.”   World poverty and hunger cannot be reduced, in line with the UN Millennium Development Goal, without improvements in agricultural production and distribution. More than a billon people – and roughly 75 per cent of the world’s poorest people – live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, with people in Africa suffering the most.   “Most of the farm work is done by women. Their efforts contribute to the major share of the domestic product of poor countries. These smallholder farmers can produce more but will be unable to do so without help with credit, seeds, fertilizers and land tenure”.   Yet development assistance for agriculture has been falling steadily, from 13 per cent in the early 1980s to 2.9 percent in 2005-6. “We are concerned that food systems are failing, with falling grain reserves, soaring prices and food riots”. “We know that the world will face ever-more severe food crises unless and until there is public action to stabilize food supplies and protect those who are most vulnerable. We cannot wait for the story to repeat itself.”   While praising efforts during the past year, with farmers, community organizations, private enterprise and governments in many affected countries working hard, often together, to tackle the food crisis, it sadly is not enough.   “We know that consistent finance is needed to create a food-secure world and to eliminate hunger, especially among children,” they said. “Additional allocations to agriculture, rural development and social protection should be made in accord with aid effectiveness principles, and we should strengthen coordination and make greater use of institutional and financial systems to ensure transparency, predictability and results.”   The World Bank has also called for boosting efforts to help the poor and vulnerable feed themselves.   “We expect high price volatility to continue and it will hit the poorest the most, as they spend half their income on food,” Managing Director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said. “More needs to be done to ensure those who are vulnerable get the assistance they need.”   Jan 26, 2009 (BBC News)   As the ripples from the global financial crisis spread out from the banking sector in the richest countries in the world, the waves are hitting those least able to cope - in the poorest countries.   There is less money to invest in new businesses, and as well as a cut in foreign direct investment, the global economic slowdown means that money sent home by those working abroad has gone down.   According to the World Bank, the volume of world trade is likely to contract for the first time since 1982, further reducing the potential for growth in developing countries.   The fall in commodity prices has created new problems for developing countries that depend largely on commodities, like Zambia for example, with its reliance on copper.   A World Bank report on economic prospects for 2009 concluded that it is not inevitable that there will be shortages of food and oil, but that careful policies need to be followed. The author of the report, Andrew Burns, said aid needs to be better targeted.   "Action is needed at the global level to strengthen agencies like the World Food Programme, and improve information about and coordination of existing domestic grain reserves," he said.   The head of the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) in Kenya, Mwangi Waituru, said food prices continue to rise, making it harder for people to feed their families. "The current consumer society is rapidly eroding the traditional security nets system, leaving the poor more and more vulnerable," he said   All of this means that efforts made to reach Millennium Development Goals on poverty and hunger are being undermined, as the number of people in the world who go to bed hungry passes one billion people. The colossal sums used to bail out the banking sector has undermined many rich countries commitment to efforts to feed the hungry, and fund agricultural innovation.   Nov 2008   Southern Voices on the Impact of the Financial Crisis, by Joanna Glyde. (Institute of Development Studies)   The G20 countries gather for a special summit on the global financial crisis on 15 November 2008, but will the outcome help the world''s least developed countries or will it do more damage? It is vital that the situation in the poorest countries is understood and their voices listened to. IDS invited 21 thinkers, academics and policymakers from 14 developing countries to present ‘snapshots’ looking at how the financial crisis is affecting their countries and how it is being discussed and characterised by policymakers, academics and in the media.   ''The debate in rich countries about the impact of the global financial crisis has largely ignored its impact on developing countries. But the instability in financial markets around the world is already spilling over to the ‘real economy’ in poorer countries around the world. It is vital that policymakers from both North and South understand how this crisis may impact developing countries and the implications for development policy'' says Neil McCulloch, IDS Research Fellow. Visit the link below to read this report. Visit the related web page
	Fighting the global recession''s storm by EADI European Association of Development Research & Training Institutes European Union   "Fighting the global recession''s storm: Implications for European development co-operation"   This is an important moment in the history of Europe''s relations with developing countries. Over the next years, an unprecedented number of decisions and steps will be taken which bear on the relationship. These include the fate of the Lisbon Treaty, European elections and the nomination of the new Commission. All these discussions take place in times of a wide-ranging and complex global challenge: The economic crisis and its consequences.   Following the food and energy crisis, the developing countries are confronted with an economic downturn. All recent analyses show that all developing countries have been severely hit by the global crisis. Foreign direct investment and remittances are falling. The outlook for the aid volume for the coming years is problematic. Being exporters of commodities, the developing countries, are suffering from the prices decline. However, negative impact of the crisis varies across regions and countries. Last but not least, questions remains about the long-term political, social and security implications of the crisis..   * Visit the European Association of Development Research and Training Institute site to access more details on this report. EADI is the leading professional network for development and regional studies in Europe. Membership includes a wide range of development research and training organisations, think tanks, national bodies and researchers throughout Europe. Visit the related web page
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