Global Policy Forum

Picture Credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

Hunger and food issues are a global problem. Although the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights identifies food as a human right, globalized inequalities significantly impact access to food. Rising food prices, industrialized agriculture, environmental destruction, and non-egalitarian distribution contribute to this problem. International aid and domestic policies often prevent systemic reform and derail efforts to feed the world’s hungry.

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GPF Perspectives l UN Documents | Articles l Archive

GPF Perspectives

NGO UN Food Statement (September 2011)

The NGO Working Group on Food & Hunger in New York has just published a major Statement on food policy. The Working Group is calling upon the United Nations General Assembly to adopt a strong resolution addressing world food insecurity. Policymakers must abandon the current interest-driven industrial food system for ecological methods that preserve rural communities, protect resilience and promote environmental sustainability. NGOs working on this issue in Rome have endorsed the Statement and join the Working Group in this call for action. (NGO Working Group on Food & Hunger)

Interactive Thematic Dialogue of the UN General Assembly on the Global Food Crisis and the Right to Food (April 6, 2009)

UN Documents

Special Rapporteur issues final report (March 12, 2014)

In his final report to the UN Human Rights Council after a six-year term as Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier De Schutter calls for the world’s food systems to be radically and democratically redesigned. “Objectives such as supplying diverse, culturally-acceptable foods to communities, supporting smallholders, sustaining soil and water resources, and raising food security within particularly vulnerable areas, must not be crowded out by the one-dimensional quest to produce more food,” he urges.

Report: Global right to food movement emerging - UN Food Expert (October 29, 2013)

In his final report to the UN General Assembly, the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food asks the following questions of burning interest: What is the global state of play on the right to food? Are steps being taken to make food a legal entitlement, and which actors are driving the process forward? How can country-led processes towards the institutionalization of the right to food be supported, and does such institutionalization contribute to the eradication of hunger and malnutrition? (SR Food)

Five Ways to Tackle Disastrous Diets – UN Food Expert (March 6, 2012)

Olivier De Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, holds Western countries responsible for lining the shelves of global supermarkets with unhealthy products. In his report to the UN Human Rights Council, he criticizes OECD’s misguided agricultural subsidies for wasting taxpayer dollars on producing and marketing these heavily processed foods. In 2010, for example, US companies spent $8.5 billion advertising unhealthy food, candy and non-alcoholic beverages. De Schutter calls for taxation and regulation of unhealthy food, and recommends new policies to support local systems of food production, instead. (SR Food)

General Assembly Resolution "Agriculture Development and Food Security" (December 22, 2011)

On December 22th 2011, at its sixty-sixth session, the General Assembly adopted the resolution on Agriculture Development and Food Security (A/RES/66/220)

General Assembly Resolution "Addressing excessive price volatility in food and related financial and commodity markets" (December 22, 2011)

On December 22th 2011, at its sixty-sixth session, the General Assembly adopted the resolution to address excessive price volatility in food and related financial and commodity markets. (A/RES/66/188) 

General Assembly Resolution "The Right to Food" (December 19, 2011)

On December 19th 2011, at its sixty-sixth session, the General Assembly adopted the resolution on the right to food. (A/RES/66/158)

UN Expert Urges Leaders at G-20 Summit to Put Right to Food before Industry Interests (October 31, 2011)

In a statement to the G20, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Olivier de Schutter said that governments must address speculation and end biofuel subsidies if they want to tackle food insecurity. He called on leaders to go beyond rhetoric and adopt a bold action plan eliminating biofuel mandates and the commodification of staple crops. (UN News Centre)

Achieving the Right to Food: From Global Governance to National Implementation (October 17, 2011)

In this address to the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) UN Special Rapporteur Olivier de Schutter highlights the innovative approaches that countries from Latin American and Africa have adopted in order to integrate the universal right to food in national food security policies. De Schutter suggests several ways that the CFS could support these initiatives, including yearly reviews of the implementation of adopted guidelines by member states. The late October meetings were the first time the CFS met since it was reformed in November 2009. (SR Food)

The State of Food Insecurity in the World (September 2011)

The latest report on Food Insecurity in the World identifies food price volatility as a major contributing factor to global food insecurity. It calls for increased long-term investment in the agricultural sector and emphasizes the importance of initiatives that support small farmers. The report was jointly produced by the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP). (FAO)

Agriculture: Higher Prices Here to Stay, says OCED - FAO Report (June 17, 2011)

Food prices have grown steadily from 2001 - 2010 and data from a new joint report by  the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OCED) and  the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) forecasts that prices will continue to rise in the next decade. Although good harvests in the coming years will help decrease commodity prices, per capita food consumption is expected to rise and real prices for cereals may average up to 20% higher and meats as much as 30% higher. The report calls for greater investment in agriculture and states that particular attention should be paid to “reinforcing rural development in developing countries.” (OCED)

New Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food (May 1, 2011)

The UN Human Rights Council has renewed Prof. Olivier de Schutter’s mandate to serve as the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food. In this statement released at the beginning of his second 3-year mandate, De Schutter comments on the current food crises and the need for governments to address the imbalance of power in food systems. He endorses the shift towards sustainable agriculture and commits to continuing to address issues of land grabbing and food security. (United Nations)

Women in Agriculture: Closing the Gender Gap for Development (March 9, 2011)

Global Food Price Monitor (March 3, 2011)

Global food prices continue to rise. This briefing by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization examines the price increase in key food commodities such as cereal, meat and dairy products. With global food consumption outpacing supply, prices are expected to increase over the next ten years and remain at levels above the past decade. (FAO)

ECOSOC Briefing on Rising Food Prices (February 18, 2011)

World Food Price Index (January 2011)

The data in this index shows monthly and annual food price movement from 1990 to 2010, reflecting the rapid price increases of 2008 and 2010-2011. For many low-income households, food price rises result in hunger. The World Food Price Index, compiled by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, consists of six commodity group price indices: meat, diary, cereals, sugar, oils and fats for a total of 55 commodities. (FAO)

The Right to Adequate Food - Fact Sheet (September 2010)

High Level Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis; Programme of Work for 2009 (February 2009)

In response to the world hunger crisis, the UN High-Level Task Force on the Global Food Crisis identifies key areas for their work plan. The Task Force will coordinate national strategies to address the financial support for both immediate plans and long term investment, engage all stakeholders involved in food security through wide participation and monitor the program's progress to ensure accountability.

Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food (January 31, 2009)

Articles

2013 l 2012 l 2011 | 2010 | 2009 l Archived Articles

2013

After the UN’s special rapporteur on the right to food Oliver de Schutter visited Malaysia the conclusion was that “As Malaysia rises to ‘high-income status’, it must focus on the most vulnerable”. Despite progress, de Schutter notes a series of remaining challenges. “Ending poverty means effectively safeguarding against exploitation,” he underscores, referring to the precarious situation of up to 4 million migrant workers currently working in Malaysia, primarily on palm oil plantations.

The UN’s Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter, has called for developing countries to be granted the freedom to use food reserves to help secure the right to food without being sanctioned by the WTO. In his speech he said that “It should not be forgotten that developed countries are able to subsidize their farmers to the tune of more than US$ 400 billion per year, without breaching WTO rules. Support must also be allowed to reach smallholders in developing countries.” The G33 group of developing countries has also proposed exempting public stockholding aimed at supporting low-income or resource-poor producers from being considered as a trade-distorting subsidy.

20 civil society groups have issued an appeal to the World Trade Organisation to take the issue of food security in developing countries as a matter of serious and immediate concern, and not to render the G-33 proposal on public food stockholding a travesty by asking developing countries to agree to the current text on the peace clause.

Both an oral and a written statement have been submitted by FIAN International on behalf of 14 organizations advocating for the economic, social, and cultural rights of women in rural communities, to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on its General Discussion on Rural Women, 56th Session, on October 7, 2013.

On the occasion of the Global Day of Action for Food Sovereignty, La Via Campesina, a global movement of millions of peasants, small and medium-size farmers, landless people, women farmers, indigenous people, migrants and agricultural workers from around the world, calls for international support. Stating that the global food crisis can only be ended by food sovereignty and agro-ecological production, La Via Campesina urges "we should show the strength and diversity of our movements, coordinating actions against transnational agribusinesses like Monsanto, against land grabbing, against the use of pesticides and genetically modified seeds." (La Via Campesina)

The Right to Food and Nutrition Watch has issued its annual publication for 2013. The title of the report is ‘Alternatives and Resistance to Policies that Generate Hunger’ and surrounds the policies that are in place that carry forth the social issues of hunger and malnutrition rather than reducing and putting a halt to them. It also reveals case studies on policies that foster violence and discrimination against women, policies that systematically limit and exclude large groups, such as peasants and agricultural workers, and policies on a global level that facilitate land grabbing.

A Report on the State of Corporate Concentration in Agriculture Industry (September 12, 2013)

ETC Group publishes its 111^th Communiqué today. The 40-page report – “Putting the Cartel before the Horse…Who Will Control Agricultural Inputs?” – provides market data on the world’s major corporate players involved in food and agriculture and analysis of key sectors in the corporate food chain. The report concludes that cartel arrangements are commonplace and the oligopoly paradigm is dominating the entire food system. (ETC Group)

Stop the hunger brokers (September 4, 2013)

"Few forms of financial speculation are as perverse or damaging as the speculation in food prices, or have such dramatic and immediate effects. Despite this, the financial lobby has skillfully defended its territory and if politicians lack focus, the plans to curb speculation might be lost at the last moment," writes European lobby-watchdog Corporate Europe Obeservatory (CEO) in an article published yesterday. (Corporate Europe Observatory)

Global Network for the Right to Food and Nutrition Launched in Vienna (June 24, 2013)

The Global Network for the Right to Food and Nutrition was launched in Vienna on 24 June 2013 as part of the Vienna+20 action week, celebrated 20 years after UN World Conference on Human Rights. The Network has 20 founding organizations aiming to open space for dialogue and mobilization to hold states accountable and support social movements and groups standing up to violations of the right to adequate food and nutrition. (FIAN International)

New Era of Food Scarcity Echoes Collapsed Civilisations (February 7, 2013)

Growing populations, climate change and high consumer demand have caused grain stocks to become worryingly strained. This in turn is driving up food prices and has led to a global race for land and water resources. Grain reserves across the globe have dropped by one third in the past ten years and food prices have more than doubled.  Many earlier civilizations, including the Sumerians and Mayans, collapsed due to an unsustainable agricultural system. Lester Brown, the president of Earth Policy Institute, warns that without a reversal of these trends, our society could meet the same fate. (IPS)

Portugal’s Disappearing Middle Class (January 25, 2013)

Harsh austerity measures in Portugal following the country’s financial bailout have led to a discernible rise in poverty levels. Unemployment and the inability to pay back bank loans are affecting the country’s middle class. A growing number of middle class families are finding themselves closer to the poverty line, struggling to pay their bills and pay for basic food.  Soup kitchens are opening up across the country as many are being forced to turn to charities for food aid. According to the National Statistics Institute, last year a fifth of all Portuguese were surviving on less than the minimum wage. This shrinking middle class has become known as the “embarrassed poor,” as many feel ashamed to turn to charities for assistance. According to reports by development organizations, this new poverty has also led to an increase in national suicide rates. (IPS)

Goldman Bankers Get Rich Betting on Food Prices as Millions Starve (January 20, 2013)

Food prices have risen substantially in recent years, increasing by 16 percent between 2010 and 2012. This escalation has heightened the food crisis across the world; yet, whilst more and more people are going hungry, Goldman Sachs is making a profit. Climate change is having detrimental impacts on harvests worldwide, making betting on the rise of food prices a reliable wager. Last year, Goldman Sachs made about $400m on food speculation. The deregulation of Wall Street has allowed banks and hedge funds to invest heavily in agriculture, this inflow of money has coincided with the escalation of food prices, these investors; however, deny the link. (Independent)

2012

Britain in Nutrition Recession as Food Prices Rise and Incomes Shrink (November 18, 2012)

How Africa Could Feed the World (November 6, 2012)

Although nearly 239 million people in Africa are hungry, the continent has around 600 million hectares of uncultivated arable land. Taking this land into use and increasing overall agricultural productivity in Africa would reshape the continent’s farming potential and allow it to feed itself.  Olesegun Obasanio, the former president of Nigeria, addresses the five main ways to do this; focusing agricultural policies on smallholder farmers, dealing with the issue of land grabbing, fostering risk management skills among smallholder farmers, focusing international community efforts to improve food security in Africa, and increasing the international community’s support for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Rather than removing barriers to increase trade, addressing these five points is crucial in increasing productivity in a sustainable matter. (CNN)

Two Contemporary Challenges: Corporate Control Over Food and Nutrition and the Absence of a Focus on the Social Determinants of Nutrition

If Extreme Weather Becomes the Norm, Starvation Awaits (October 15, 2012)

Globally Almost 870 Million Chronically Undernourished - New Hunger Report (October 9,2012)

‘We Let Them Starve’ (October 5, 2012)

The Real Reason the Middle East is Rioting (September 20, 2012)

Human Rights Are the Best Weapon to Combat Hunger, Report Says (September 26, 2012)

Mali's Humanitarian Crisis May Worsen if Intervention Calls Heeded, UN Warned (September 27, 2012)

On the occasion of the UN 67^th General Assembly, France, the US, and many other Western and African member States have called for military action in Mali. Since the coup of March 2012, North Mali which controlled by Tuareg rebel and al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb have increased its presence in the region. Yet, aid officials and experts of humanitarian affairs warn the UN that such intensification of the conflict would actually exacerbate the current food and nutrition crisis by displacing important part of the population. (The Guardian)

Our Secret Weapon Against Hunger: Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (August 22, 2012)

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter, shared his views on the role of gender equality in securing the right to food at the Eminent Speakers' Forum, and wrote an article on the same topic based on these remarks. He lists several reasons as to why the promotion of gender equality and women’s rights should be seen as a key component of any policy aiming at improving food security. He argues that gender equality in food security discussions might significantly improve productivity, change the perspective about the direction of agricultural development and focus of key investments as a whole, and improve social protection as a whole. While ensuring gender equality and empowering women at household, community and state levels are crucial goals in themselves too, it should be noted that no food security strategy is likely to succeed without taking into account this dimension. (UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food)

Speculating Banks Profit as World's Poorest Go Hungry (September 3, 2012)

Impact of Climate Change on Food Prices is Underestimated, Oxfam Warns (September 5, 2012)

The Cost of Hunger Drought Only One Factor Behind High Food Prices (August 21, 2012)

Could Malawi's Empty Grain Stores Signal Return to the Bad Times? (August 21, 2012)

The UN World Food Programme predicts that the current drought in southern Malawi may push 1.6 million people into food insecurity conditions at the beginning of 2013. The recent devaluation of the national currency (pushed by foreign aid donors) has already increased fertilizer and food prices. Better distribution of the country’s surplus grain from previous years can reduce the effects of the drought. However, to prevent future crises, the Malawian government must carefully consider how its economic policy impacts food security for the people. (Guardian)

Trees Breathing New Life into French Agriculture (August 21, 2012)

In some parts of France, farmers are increasingly switching to agroforestry, a traditional practice of growing crops around trees. As the roots of the trees act as natural filters, this type of farming slows down soil erosion and eliminates dependency on chemical fertilizers. Agroforestry also produces wood for additional source of revenue and brings additional biodiversity that helps to protect the crops. Better subsidies for farmers to offset the substantial investment cost of agroforestry projects will help to expand this sustainable farming model. (Le Monde)

Must the Poor Go Hungry Just so the Rich can Drive? (August 13, 2012)

The Hunger Wars in Our Future (August 8, 2012)

The current drought is not a one-off event in the US, but rather a link in the chain of global warming consequences unfolding in the world. In the near future, climate change will not only lead to catastrophic physical effects but also social effects such as mass starvation, food riots, mass migrations and violent conflicts. While the current focus is on rising food prices, an immediate outcome of the drought, this article calls to mind the big picture of the grim social and political ramifications of climate change-related crisis. (TomDispatch)

DRC Farmers Reap Benefits of Soil Fertility (August 6, 2012)

In villages around Bukavu, small-holder rice farmers are seeing their market share rising after they adopted a new technique to protect soil quality using subsidized mineral fertilizer. This method has increased rice output from 2.5 tons to 7.5 tons per one hectare plot, helping farmers to gain ground in a market previously dominated by rice from Tanzania and Pakistan. While some farmers have invested profits from harvests to purchasing farmland, access to land remains a challenge to most farmers as the cost of leasing land is very high and changes in land rights system are slow.  Small-holder farmer in the Democratic Republic of Congo need strong support from the government, which is only allocating 0.6 percent of the 2012 national budget to agriculture, to ensure better access to land and fertilizer and build food security systems. (IPS)

Corn for Food, Not Fuel (July 30, 2012)

Given the current drought in 32 US states, this article calls on the Environmental Protection Agency to lower the renewable- fuel standard by 20 percent and divert corn from ethanol production back into the food chain. While corn is indeed a renewable resource, the current ethanol policy rests on false assumptions pushed by the ethanol lobby about how ethanol lowers the price of gasoline and reduces global carbon dioxide emissions. Reducing the renewable-fuel standard would offset nearly half of the expected crop loss and ease the drastic impacts that the drought would otherwise have on inflation, food security and political instability in many parts of the world. (New York Times)

Sam Dryden: The Most Powerful Figure in the Global South's Agriculture? (July 6, 2012)

While global annual aid spending on agriculture by governments is around $2.3 billion, the Gates Foundation has invested more than two billion dollars in agricultural projects, making it one of the most powerful actors in world agriculture. The foundation’s head of agricultural development program, Sam Dryden, claims that he works in the interest of small-holder farmers; however, his  record, which includes working for the chemical company Union Carbide and setting up the GM crop giant company Dow AgroSciences, raises serious doubts. Should one foundation be allowed to wield such influence over agricultural policy that concerns the livelihoods of millions of farmers, especially when it promotes an unsustainable industry-driven farming system?  (Guardian)

Biofuels and Hunger, Two Sides of the Same Coin (June 25, 2012)

In 2009, the EU set a mandatory target of a ten percent share of biofuel use in transport by 2020. Several international NGOs pointed out that this would require converting an area larger than Belgium and the Netherlands combined into cropland for biofuel production and lead to 56 million tons of CO2 per year. The ten percent target would put an extra 140 million people at risk of hunger due to land grabbing, water diversion and increases in prices of oilseed, sugar and maize. However, under pressure from the biofuel industry, the EU remains silent on the effects of biofuels on food security. (IPS) 

The G-20 Agricultural Agenda: Agricultural Productivity Growth in a Vacuum (June 19, 2012)

While the G-20 comprises the agricultural powerhouses of international markets, their agriculture agenda for the 2012 meeting in Mexico fails to mention how G-20 members must change their agricultural policies in order to bring about significant changes for small-scale producers worldwide. Instead, it has a narrow focus on low-income countries and the problem of agricultural productivity growth.The G-20’s call for increases in agricultural investment, without consideration of possible risks, demonstrates that the G-20 is pulling back from any of the structural challenges that confront the international agricultural economy today. (Triple Crisis)

Africa Must End Hunger to Sustain Growth - UN (May 15, 2012)

Africa continues to be a net importer of food, despite an abundance of fertile land and water. In its first Africa Human Development report, UNDP is calling for more investment in agriculture, to reduce hunger, create jobs and sustain growth. In the last decade, African economies grew at an average rate of more than 5 percent, but as of 2008, 48 percent of its inhabitants were living in poverty. (AlertNet)

UN Envoy Blasts Canada for "Self-Righteous" Attitute over Hunger, Poverty (May 15, 2012)

Olivier de Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, says he was shocked to find on his recent visit to Canada that there are over 900,000 food insecure households, with up to 2.5 million hungry people in such a wealthy country. The Conservative government declined to allow its cabinet ministers to meet De Schutter, a sign of the lack of commitment to tackle the problem of food insecurity. This was De Schutter’s first mission to a developed country. (National Post)

The Philippines: The Family Plot (May 12, 2012)

In 1989, the owners of Hacienda Luisita, a sugar plantation estate owned by the family of the President of the Philippines, persuaded farmworkers to give up their land rights in exchange for shares and guaranteed five or six days of work per week. When the company violated its contract and gave some farmers work only one day per week, the United Luisita Workers’ Union took their case to the courts and forced the government to re-examine the 1989 agreement. On April 24^thof 2012, the Workers’ Union won a big victory against Hacienda Luisita when the Supreme Court upheld a decision to redistribute 4, 335 hectares of the land to 6, 269 farmers. This article outlines this rare success of land reform in the Philippines. (The Economist)

Not a Famine, but an Issue of Food Insecurity (May 11, 2012)

Millions of Angolans are facing critical food insecurity because of a lack of rain and reduced irrigation. Unable to grow their own food, small farmers are forced to purchase it elsewhere, but prices have doubled. The Angolan government launched a high profile US funded $150 million microcredit scheme to help small farmers buy inputs seeds and fertilizers in 2011. But with yields so low this year, many families are getting deeper into poverty as they struggle to repay their debts. (IPS Terraviva)

Want to Stop Banks Gambling on Food Prices? Try Closing the Casino (May 10, 2012)

High rollers like JP Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs have transformed speculation on the world’s food commodities into another high stakes game. Thanks to their success at crippling regulatory legislation, nobody can track how the game is being played. Investigative reporter Frederick Kaufman says the only way to stop speculation in food commodities is to make it a criminal offence. (Guardian)

UN Sees Risk of Unrest from Food Costs above 10-Year Average (May 7, 2012)

According to the UN, global food prices may stay at high levels, about 40 percent above the average over the past 10 years. In order to help poor countries cope with high food costs, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization has asked international lenders to give more monetary assistance to the world’s least developed countries. UN officials are especially worried about social unrest because high food prices contributed to riots across Africa and the Middle East in 2011. (Bloomberg)

Time to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love Industrial Agriculture? (May 2, 2012)

In this article, author Tom Philpott critiques a recent study published in the journal Nature, which compared the productivity of industrial and organic agriculture by averaging the yields-per-acre of 66 case studies. The study’s fixation on yield puts a shiny gloss on a system that wastes huge amounts of resources and leads to severe environmental degradation, says Philpott. Viewed through a gross output-per-acre lens, conventional agriculture seems hyperefficient and organic agriculture looks “like a laggard.” (MotherJones)

Curbing Food Speculation – Right Step to Stop Hunger? (May 2, 2012)

Following the food price crisis of 2008, traders began to bet heavily on the future prices of wheat, maize and corn, among other commodities, which forced food prices to remain high and volatile. According to a report by the World Development Movement, investment in food commodities by banks and hedge funds has risen from US$65 bn to US $126 bn in five years. This article gives a good overview of the impact of speculation on the food prices and analyzes steps that can be taken to regulate commodities speculation. (AlertNet)

Restructuring the Planet's Food System (May 1, 2012)

The current food system is broken, says Danielle Nierenberg, the Project Director of Nourising the Planet at Worldwatch Institute.  In this IPS Terraviva interview, Nierenberg outlines inefficiencies in the current industrialized food system and advocates for a restructuring of the system towards one that is “more regional and local and relies on resources already available.” (IPS Terraviva)

US Ethanol Expansion Cost Mexico Billions in Higher Import Prices (May 2012)

Released on the eve of a key meeting of vice ministers of agriculture from the G-20, this working paper urges Mexico, which has the presidency of the G-20, to put biofuels, import dependence and other underlying causes of the food crisis on the agenda. Mexico imports one-third of its corn and the study has found that due to US biofuels policy, the added cost of importing corn in Mexico was between US$1.5bn and US$3.2 bn from 2006-2011.This price increase significantly contributed to rising hunger and food insecurity in Mexico, where the cost of the staple diet, corn tortillas, rose by 60 percent. As chair of the G-20, Mexico has a unique opportunity to take a strong position against bad policies, and should call on other leading economies to curb their biofuels policies. (Global Development and Environment Institute)

Genetically Modified Crops' Results Raise Concerns (April 30, 2012)

Food manufacturers and grain millers are worried that a new genetically modified (GM) Trojan corn, which turns its own starch to sugar, will contaminate food corn. The primary concern is that the new GM corn will spread through pollen or inadvertent mixing, as GM crops have done at least six times in the past. Proponents of GMOs promise to feed the world, but they never anticipated the side effects of reliance on GMOs. The overall vast increases in herbicide, for instance, have created impervious weeds that now infest millions of acres of cropland, while decimating other plants. (San Francisco Chronicle)

The Folly of Big Agriculture: Why Nature Always Wins (April 13, 2012)

According to this Yale Environment 360 article, a reasonable agriculture system would do its best to emulate nature, but the current agro-industrial system is bent on changing the earth to suit its needs. The current system relies of leveling, irrigating, draining, fertilizing, and spraying the land with herbicides. But as weeds become tolerant of herbicides, big agriculture incorrectly looks towards technology for solutions to help with issues created by "right-now technology." In this article, Verlyn Klinkenborg argues that the USDA should urge farmers away from uniformity and towards crop diversity because nature ultimately always finds a way assert itself. (Yale Environment 360)

Water Monitoring System Aids Kenyan Herders (April 3, 2012)

Through a new early warning system, scientists are able to create a real-time map of vegetation and water conditions in northwest Kenya. The Livestock Early Warning System combines information uploaded by villages with mobile phones and satellite images generated by the NASA to record information about water levels and the number of households and livestock using waterholes. Currently, forecasts about drought conditions are communicated to pastoralist communities (through the internet-access in part) on mobile phones, but scientists are working towards disseminating information through radio and community meetings as well. The pilot program ended in February, but scientists are seeking funding from FAO to support its continuation and expansion into other arid parts of the country. (Alertnet)

At UN Conference, Latin America Countries Reaffirm Commitment to Eradicate Hunger (April 2, 2012)

At the 32^nd FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean, states renewed their commitment to the “Latin America and the Caribbean without Hunger 2025” initiative. Since its launch in 2005, four countries in the region have recognized the right to food in their constitutions, and 7 have passed food security or food sovereignty laws. Member states also agreed to strengthen FAO’s presence in developing countries and emphasized the importance of advancing South-South cooperation in disaster preparedness and humanitarian response. (UN News Centre)

Is the EU Taking its Over-Fishing Habits to West African Waters? (April 2, 2012)

According to the UN’s FAO, 25 percent of all fish caught by EU-registered boats comes from developing countries, at the expense of over 1.5 million local fishermen.  Though fish supplies in developing nation’s waters are rapidly declining, rich countries and country groups, like the EU, are continuing to over-fish. Host country governments are becoming increasingly dependent on the income received by selling fishing rights to foreign corporations and countries. In West Africa, many people fear that communities where fishing is the main source of income will become less stable, making the region “more and more like Somalia.” (Guardian)

The Real Hunger Games: How Banks Gamble on Food Prices – and the Poor Lose Out (April 1, 2012)

Speculation by large investment banks has driven up food prices, tipping millions into hunger and further into poverty. In the past five years, investment in food commodities has risen from US$65bn to US$126bn. Hedge funds, pension funds and investment banks now dominate the food commodities market, dwarfing the amount traded by actual food producers and buyers. In this article, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Olivier de Schutter comments on the way in which financial players bet on food and the catastrophic effects of this speculation on poor consumers. (The Independent)

Drought does not Mean Death of Pastoralism (March 22, 2012)

Pastoralists in West Africa are investigating ways to diversify their sources of income in order to strengthen their resilience to climate change. By ensuring that some members of their family pursue non-livestock activities, families can build food reserves for when there is a drought. While the Nigerien government guarantees pastoralists the right to travel across borders during the rainy season, other governments do not have such lenient pastoral codes, making it difficult for pastoralists to sustain their way of life amidst changing weather patterns. (IRIN)

World Water Forums Expose Large Dams as “Unsustainable”(March 19, 2012)

According to estimates by the World Commission on Dams, 40 to 80 million people have been displaced by the construction of large dams worldwide. The land area required for dams leads to the displacement of large numbers of people, but governments often fail to give any support or compensation to the displaced. While large dam projects generate large profits for industrial farming enterprises, dams often do little for small farmers and they have has devastating environmental impacts. In this article, ecologists argue that small sand dams are a good alternative to big concrete dam projects. (IPS Terraviva)

UN Human Rights Council Exhorted to Defend Peasants’ Rights (March 9, 2012)

For decades, peasants' networks have been advocating for a UN declaration that would protect their rights to land, seeds, and control over their traditional agricultural knowledge In this article, the general coordinator of Via Campesina, a movement that represents over 200 million small farmers worldwide, explains why a declaration from the UN Human Rights Council would be an important step forward for peasants' rights. (IPS Terraviva)

Indian Farmers Hostage to Middlemen (March 9, 2012)

While India's economy has been growing steadily, its agriculture sector has declined steeply since the "green revolution" of the 1970s. Scientists believe that the overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, as well as the government's encouragement of water-intensive crops has led to severe environmental degradation.The current government policy is to give aid to farmers by subsidizing agricultural inputs, such as fertilizers, but these subsidies do not solve the problem and mainly benefit input producers. According to national statistics, over 250,000 small farmers committed suicide between 1995 and 2010, "mainly attributed to their inability to pay debts incurred on agricultural inputs." (IPS Terraviva)

Combating Monsanto (March 2012)

This report examines grassroots resistance to the growing power of agribusinesses in the current food system. In the run up to Rio+20, the concept of the new ‘green economy’ has been used by corporations, such as Monsanto, to tighten their grip on food and agriculture and facilitate the spread of genetically modified (GM) crops. As a result of Monsanto’s presence, local seeds are becoming illegal, biodiversity is disappearing, land is being contaminated and farmers and agricultural workers are being poisoned, criminalized and displaced from their land. The report states that global resistance against transnational corporations is an urgent necessity and calls on policy makers to act against the existing food system, which focuses on profit generation rather than sustainable food production. (La Via Campesina)

Access to Good, Healthy Food Should Be a Basic Human Right (February 22, 2012)

In this article, author Eric Schlosser argues that the current system of food production must be overhauled in favor of a new diverse, resilient, and democratic system. Schlosser states that the current system is overly centralized, overly industrialized, and “overly controlled by a handful of companies that are overly reliant on monocultures, pesticides, chemical fertilizers.” He says that the current low costs of food are deceptive, but what’s gone wrong in our food system can be reversed if we move towards alternative small scale production systems, such as organic farming. (The Atlantic)

Iowa State University Withdraws Completely from AgriSol Energy's Investment Deal in Tanzania (February 12, 2012)

In a public statement, Iowa State University Dean Wendy Wintersteen has announced that its College of Agriculture and Life Sciences would no longer be “advising” AgriSol Energy in its ventures in Tanzania. Masked as a "responsible investment," the deal would have forced 162,000 Tanzanians to relocate. The university's partnership with AgriSol was first discovered by the California think-tank Oakland Institute in June 2011. (Oakland Institute)

Hunger is a 'Weapon of Mass Destruction,' says Jean Ziegler (January 19, 2012)

In Jean Ziegler’s new book, “Mass Destruction – the Geopolitics of Hunger’, the former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food discusses the catastrophic problem of organized hunger, biofuels production, and food price spikes. Ziegler’s book exposes the actions of agroindustry giants and praises the countries that are fighting back, while providing insight into actions by countries like the US, which have strong ties with transnational corporations and an agenda to take over “valuable commodities everywhere.” (Axis of Logic)

Power in Agriculture: A Vital Report on the Future of Farming (January 18, 2012)

Transnational agribusinesses are beginning to play an increasingly influential role in global agricultural markets and this report by the Oxford Farming Conference looks at the economic, political, and natural resource power distributions in the current global food system. The report argues that in order to sustain the current levels of productivity, there needs to be better resource use. (Oxford Farming Conference)

"Speculation is an Important Cause of High Prices”(January 16, 2012)

The deregulation of the financial markets has contaminated the food system, privileging commodity speculation over food security. In this interview with Speigel, the new chief of FAO Jose Graziano da Silva states that the food crisis is a financial problem and the “Green Revolution” is not a viable option. With the help of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), we must build an effective global food governance system, says Da Silva. Da Silva was appointed head of FAO in early January and will be chief through July 2015. (Der Spiegel)

New Chief of UN's Food Agriculture Agency Outlines Plans as he Starts Work (January 3, 2012)

Brazilian agronomist and writer Jose Graziano da Silva has begun his post as Director-General of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). With nearly a billion people suffering from chronic hunger, the new FAO chief says eradicating hunger will be his top priority. (UN News)

Resolving the Food Crisis: Assessing Global Policy Reforms Since 2007 (January 2012)

A new policy report highlights the inadequacies of the current global food system. The existing trade model, where the biggest agricultural producers in Europe and North America dump their food surplus on low-income regions is unsustainable. This trade-centric approach privileges countries of the global North and leaves little space for developing countries to promote local food production capacities and achieve national food security. Researchers warn that the blind expansion of industrial agriculture “ignores environmental constraints and equity issues.” They are calling for reduced financial speculation on commodity markets, limited biofuels production and a halt to land grabs. (GDAE - IATP)

Farming Money (January 2012)

This report by Friends of the Earth Europe urges the international community to scrutinize the role of European financial institutions in commodity speculation and global food crises. The report identified Germany’s Deutsche Bank, UK’s Barclays, and French banking group BNP Paribas as the most significant actors involved in trading agricultural commodity futures and financing land grabs. (Friends of the Earth Europe)

Hedge-Fund Millionaire Diggle Bets on Farms, Life Sciences (January 2, 2012)

Hedge-fund millionaire Stephen Diggle plans to open his personal portfolio of farmland and biotechnology companies to investors, promising high returns in a volatile market. According to Diggle, buying farms and orchards — at the expense of smallholder farmers — is the best way to make profits as global food prices continue to rise. Diggle is one of many investors who are looking towards farmland to make a quick profit as the global population and demand for food continue to increase. (Bloomberg)

2011

Egypt: Food for a Revolution (December 21, 2011)

In this article, the authors argue that the agricultural sector in Egypt is focused on creating luxury exports instead of basic crops. According to estimates, between one and four million peasant farmers have quit working the land and moved to cities in the last 20 years, because they are unable to survive by growing their own food. Factors driving the migration include high land prices, a farm policy that favors wealthy entrepreneurs and a lack of access to irrigation water. (al Jazeera)

The Speculative Scrum Driving up Food Prices (December 20, 2011)

2011 was a great year for traders who speculated on food commodities and saw cocoa futures drop 12% in less than a minute, says investigative journalist Frederick Kaufman. In this article, he writes that the time has come for global regulators to make commodities information public and place limits on commodities that bankers and hedge funds can gamble on. In January, Kaufman spoke at an NGO Working on Food & Hunger Policy Luncheon. To hear what he had to say on price instability and food reserves, click here. (Guardian)

Great Lakes: At Risk of "War for Food, Space" (November 1, 2011)

UN Human Rights Expert Warns of Pitfalls of Contract Farming (October 24, 2011)

UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Oliver De Schutter has issued a new report highlighting that smallholder farmers face the risk of exploitation under current contract farming arrangements. De Schutter says that it is extremely difficult for farmers to “move up the value chain” into processing, packaging, and marketing of their food without access to markets. Fair contracts should include minimum price guarantees and farmers must be allowed to set aside land to meet family and community needs, says De Schutter. (UN News Centre)

Biotech Group Bids to Recruit High-Profile GM "Ambassadors" (October 20, 2011)

Leaked documents show that biotech industry giant EuropaBio has hired a PR firm to approach high-profile "ambassadors" to lobby European leaders on genetically modified (GM) policy. Draft e-mails to potential ambassadors do not offer an outright paycheck but they offer to research, write, and publish on behalf of the ambassadors while promising to secure lucrative speaking engagements. This attempt by EuropaBio to change the debate on GMOs in Europe exposes the influences of the powerful GM lobby. The PR company claims to have had interest from Kofi Annan, Lord Patten, and Sir Bob Geldof. (Guardian)

La Via Campesina at the CFS: "We Can No Longer Wait" (October 19, 2011)

This contribution from Ibrahim Coulibaly at the October meeting of the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS) urges the international body to find a sustainable solution to the problem of food insecurity and price volatility. On behalf of members of the largest international peasant movement La Via Campesina, Coulibaly states that it is necessary to halt forms of competition between small farmers and agro-industrial producers, and put an end to policies which allow for dumping during times of overproduction. He also argues that it is important to give priority to local markets, not “unpredictable international markets.” (La Via Campesina)

Women Seen Key to Solving Hunger Issues in Africa (October 16, 2011)

According to a new UN FAO report, investing in women would increase food security in sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, women farmers produce food crops, such as millet and corn, to feed their families, but are generally excluded or prohibited from owning or registering land. The report states that increasing women’s access to land, technology and agricultural training can increase yields on farms by 20 to 30 percent. (Reuters)

New Global Hunger Index Report Calls for Action to Curtail High and Volatile Prices and Protect the Poor (October 11, 2011)

This joint report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Welthungerhilfe, and Concern Worldwide states that extreme weather, financial speculation and the commodification of agriculture are major causes of food price volatility. In order to protect the most vulnerable against hunger, the report suggests that policymakers regulate the financial activity in food markets, restrict biofuel production and invest in small-scale agriculture. (IFPRI)

Scaling Up (Mal)Nutrition (October 2011)

Multinational companies are increasingly prominent around the UN, but who would have predicted that PepsiCo, a giant soft drink and snack food company, would play a lead role in a high-profile UN initiative on nutrition?  This report from a high-level meeting hosted by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on in September 2011, reveals the increasingly blatant use of the UN by companies for corporate branding and the manufacture of positive spin to overcome negative reputations. 

Small-Scale Farmers and Development: Assume a Different Economic Model (September 27, 2012)

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) gives Mexico tariff-free access to cheap goods, so that Mexico’s “two million small-scale corn farmers can enjoy cheaper tortillas and seek more productive activities, growing high-value crops or moving out of agriculture,” said a World Bank economist during a conference on farm policies in Mexico. In this article, the author discusses the devastating effects of NAFTA on Mexico, namely the dumping of corn, rise in migration and an ongoing food price crisis that has caused tortilla riots across the country. (Triple Crisis Blog)

The G-20's Opportunity on Food Reserves (September 23, 2011)

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has agreed to host a pilot emergency food reserves project as part of the G-20 Action Plan on Food Price Volatility which will be implemented in late 2011. In this article, Sophia Murphy, the senior advisor to the Trade and Global Governance program at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), voices concerns about the proposal and proposes alternative methods to measure the occurrences of market shocks. (IATP)

How Wall Street Fuels Global Hunger (September 16, 2011)

Who Says Food is a Human Right? (September 14, 2011)

How Change is Going to Come in the Food System (September 11, 2011)

Author Michael Pollan argues changes in the current  US food system will happen only in response to unaffordable healthcare costs. As soon as the healthcare industry realizes it will have to “pick up the long-term tab” of unhealthy citizens, agriculture committees in Congress will begin to echo calls for a change to the “unsustainable” American way of growing and eating food. (The Nation)

Did Food Prices Spur the Arab Spring (September 7, 2011)

Speculating with Lives: How Global Investors Make Money out of Hunger (September 1, 2011)

Broken Markets: How Financial Market Regulation Can Help Prevent Another Global Food Crisis (September 2011)

The Future of Food-The Global South Shows the Way (August 26, 2011)

Much of the momentum for the food sovereignty conference for Europe, held in Austria in mid-August, stems from La Via Campesina, an organization of peasants and small farmers from the global south. Acknowledging the universal right to food, La Via Campesina takes a “holistic” approach to tackle food insecurity and gives equal value to projects on the ground and at global policy-making levels. Although northern organizations are “wary of system-wide solutions for fear of being seen as ‘ideological’,” the current global food crisis calls for systemic change beyond policy negotiations and politics and has inspired the north to take a cue from the south and confront the current dominant industrial food system. (Guardian)

Bolivia's First Crop Insurance Scheme Promises to Empower Farmers (August 19, 2011)

Currently, over 150,000 Bolivian farmers have micro-credit loans but are unable to sustain themselves after a bad harvest. Insurance businessman Luis Alvaro Toledo believes farmers in Latin America will be much better off if they have access to insurance policies that will allow them to buy new seeds, invest in better machinery and “bounce back” from a bad season. With support from the International Labor Organization (ILO), Toledo has developed a scheme to give crop, life and property insurance to Bolivia’s small farmers. Skeptics are wary that, like micro-credit, this “quick fix” scheme will worsen farmers’ conditions and mainly create a lucrative new financial service market.  (Guardian)

Women Farmers Key to End Food Insecurity (August 6, 2011)

1.6 billion women worldwide depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. However, they often lack access or rights to land. In India, women grow 70% of the food, yet only 6% of these women own land in the farming state of Uttar Pradesh. In order to help lift their families out of poverty and strengthen their countries’ food security, women must have improved access to credit and government training programs, says Janeen Madan of Nourishing the Planet. It is time policymakers pay attention to women as agricultural producers and strengthen their agricultural capacity. (Nourishing the Planet)

Food Price Spikes (August 2, 2011)

In some countries of the global South, people spend up to 80% of their household income on food, making them especially vulnerable during food price instability. This interactive map by Oxfam allows viewers to see the causes and impacts of fluctuating food prices in 22 countries. The map shows that rising food prices over the last decade have affected poorer countries disproportionately, often leading to civil unrest. In order to tackle food crises, Oxfam argues we must look at the causes of price volatility, reform bad policies and preserve scarce resources. (Oxfam)

The Truth About the Global Demand for Food (August 2, 2011)

A UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report challenges the widely held belief that growing populations in India and China have led to increased grain consumption and volatile food prices. According to the report, there has been little change in the rate of demand of grain by developing countries. Instead, western policies supporting biofuel production have accelerated food price increases, making food unaffordable for millions of people. The report suggests that the biofuel boom of the 2000s, coupled with financial speculation in commodity markets, has led to higher food prices and jeopardized food security. (Guardian)

The New Green Revolution: How Twenty-First Century Science Can Feed the World (August 2011)

Food Prices, Still Near Record High, Continue to Burden World's Poorest (August 2011)

In the Horn of Africa, the prices of food, fats, oil, and grains have exceeded peak levels not seen since the last global food crisis in 2008. Between 2010 and early 2011 the global prices of corn, sugar and wheat rose by 84%, 62%, and 55% respectively. During this period domestic food prices have also fluctuated widely. In this report the World Bank blames soaring food prices on poor local harvests, dwindling global food stocks, US production of corn ethanol and a volatile global food supply. (World Bank)

Genocidal Politics and the Somalia Famine (July 30, 2011)

What's Driving Food Prices in 2011? (July 19, 2011)

This report by the Farm Foundation notes the role of two persistent demand shocks---biofuels policies for corn, and soybean exports for China---as major driving forces behind rising commodity prices in recent months. Between 2005 and 2010 the number of acres required to satisfy biofuels and soybean demands rose 189% in the US. Such a dramatic increase in the number of acres required implies a decrease in the amount of available land to grow crops for global consumption. These increases in demand coupled with an ailing economy and climate change caused commodity prices to skyrocket in early 2011. (Farm Foundation)

Use Your Loaf: Why Food Prices Were Crucial in the Arab Spring (July 17, 2011)

According to Rami Zurayk, professor of agriculture and food sciences at the American University of Beirut, food price hikes were a catalyst in the 2011 Arab Spring. Using the examples of Tunisia and Egypt, Zurayk asserts that the lack of access to affordable staple foods, such as wheat, led people to take to the streets. Wheat is currently trading at record prices, with the benefits going to US based trading giants Cargill, ADM and Bunge, who together control 90% of the global grain trade. Institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund encourage this monopolization of basic commodities. In order to improve food security, Zurayk argues that it is crucial to invest in local grain production and support small-scale farmers. (The Observer)

Rich Nations Risk Breaking Their Pledges on Farming Aid, says Anti-Poverty Group (July 10, 2011)

According to the ONE campaign, rich nations are failing to keep their pledge to help farmers in the world’s poorest countries.  At the L’Aquila summit in 2009, the G8 along with five other donors promised to deliver 22 billion dollars towards agriculture by 2012. The US, which pledged the largest amount, $3.5 billion, has only disbursed 2%, says ONE. Canada and Italy have given two-thirds of their pledges while France and the UK have given close to one-third. The UK Department of International Development has said it believes the ONE campaign is incorrect in its assessment and maintains that rich nations are on track to deliver the support that they have pledged. With foreign aid for agriculture falling drastically in the past few decades, the executive director of ONE believes there is little hope for Africa without investment from rich countries in agriculture. (Guardian)

UN Food Boss Brings Street Cred to New Job (June 27, 2011)

Jose Graziano da Silva of Brazil has been elected director of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), replacing Jacques Diof of Senegal. Unlike most senior FAO officials, Graziano da Silva recognizes that food price volatility is due in part to “contaminated commodity markets.” However, he has not spoken out against agro-industry led landgrabbing and biofuel production, which are also threats to food security.  Graziano da Silva has vowed to repeat his success in Brazil with national hunger alleviation programs in all countries facing food insecurity. Bridging the north-south divide to foster consensus between donor countries and developing countries will be difficult, however. (Globe and Mail)

G20 Action Plan Addresses the Symptoms, Not the Causes of the Problem (June 23, 2011)

For the first time agriculture ministers from the world’s 20 leading economies met to discuss the issue of food price volatility. The Ministers agreed to create an early warning system, AMIS, run by the UN’s FAO, which will collect information on food stocks and global production. Olivier De Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, has issued a statement expressing his disappointment that the G20 action plan did not consider the causes of price volatility on agricultural markets.  This article outlines his concerns about the effects of biofuels, the functionality of food reserves, and the lack of investment in food production in a range of developing countries, among other points. (United Nations)

Food Crisis: Five Priorities for the G20 (June 16, 2011)

France must use its presidency of the G20 to combat global food insecurity, says Olivier De Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food. In order to put the global food system back on track, De Schutter believes G20 leaders must control speculation, create transparency in food reserve systems, accelerate the provision of public goods and encourage all countries to create strategies to feed themselves. Hunger has become a political problem and he is optimistic that France will work to end the global food crisis. (Guardian)

Fish Farming is Answer to Increasing Global Meat Demands, says Report (June 14, 2011)

According to a report by Conservation International and WorldFish Centre, the world must look towards aquaculture to meet the growing demand for animal products. With an expanding middle class population in Asia and widespread hunger, it is of paramount importance that we find sustainable solutions to the global food crisis. The study suggests that the answer lies in farming fish and algae since its environmental impact is lower than raising livestock. (Guardian)

Living on a Spike (June 2011)

Poor people in developing countries now spend up to 80% of their household income on food. In order to see how the food crisis of 2011 is affecting poor people, researchers from Oxfam and the Institute of Development Studies travelled to Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, and Zambia to meet with members of eight communities that they previously visited in 2009 and 2010. The study found the 2011 food price spike impacted communities unevenly and was more varied than the food spike in 2008. The overall pattern this year is one of ‘weak losers,’ people already struggling in low-paid, informal sector jobs, and ‘strong winners,’ people whose work has benefited from the global recovery who are not feeling the price spike as strongly as in past years. Research shows that people are responding to food insecurity in more nuanced ways than in past years; specifically, as they pinpoint political alienation as the primal force behind food price instability. (Oxfam)

Growing a Better Future (May 31, 2011)

This report by Oxfam highlights the inequities plaguing the global food system and the needs of vulnerable populations. It forecasts that prices of key crops could double by 2030 because of climate change and increased resource scarcity. Oxfam is calling on G20 leaders to better regulate commodities markets, increase food reserves, and end the diversion of food into biofuels. (Oxfam)

France Marshals G-20 to Combat Rising Food Costs (May 31, 2011)

France is using its presidency of the G20 to highlight the problems of food price volatility and will press for an action plan to combat global food insecurity. The country is hoping to create a database, managed by FAO, which would keep an account of commodities stocks and monitor shifts in demand.  France is also examining the idea of creating reserves in food-insecure nations and tightening regulation of the commodities markets. (New York Times)

Exploding Watermelons put Spotlight on Chinese Farming Practices (May 17, 2011)

Can the World Feed 10 Billion People? (May 4, 2011)

The New Geopolitics of Food (May/June 2011)

Food Insecurity Looms in Parched Horn of Africa (April 25, 2011)

China Crops in Short Supply as Fewer Farms Spur Food Prices (April 19, 2011)

China’s farmland is shrinking due to increased urbanization. Rapid growth of cities and rising incomes are placing pressure on global food supplies. If China’s grain production were to experience an unexpected shortfall, world grain markets would come under intense pressure. Recent developments may portend a trend of increasing prices as a wealthier China edges out competitors by driving up food prices on global markets. (Bloomberg)

Why the International Day of Peasants' Struggles is Important (April 18, 2011)

Peasants and small-scale farmers grow most of the food we consume. However, their contribution has not always been recognized. Prior to the start of the food crisis in 2007, it was widely believed that agribusiness would feed the world and there was no real need for small-scale farmers. With an increasing number of hungry people, governments must realize the limitations of the current agro-industrial model of food production and begin valuing small-scale farmers. It is time society stopped marginalizing peasants and started respecting the millions of peasants that feed the world. (Guardian)

Dispute Over Fishing Permits for Foreign Fleets Hots Up (April 16, 2011)

Excessive Speculation in Agriculture Commodities: Selected Writings from 2008 - 2011 (April 2011)

The Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) has published a report analyzing the role of speculation on rising commodity prices. The report states that volatile food prices have caused 40 million people to go hungry worldwide since 2008, and shows the impact of excessive speculation on small-scale farmers. In the report, National Director of Intelligence Dennis Blair tells the US Senate that the global economic crisis, triggered by financial deregulation, has “replaced Al-Qaeda as the number one U.S. national security threat.” The report also includes articles by UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Olivier De Schutter and Jayati Ghost from the World Development Movement. (IATP)

Quinoa's Global Success Creates Quandry at Home (March 19, 2011)

Timor-Leste: Chronic Malnutrition Among World's Highest (February 25, 2011)

China's Weather Forecasters Reluctant to Confirm Rumors of Rain  (February 23, 2011)

From Food Crisis to Food Sovereignty: The Challenge of Social  Movements (February 22, 2011)

UN Agency on 'Red Alert' as Soaring Food Prices Threaten Millions of World's Poorest  (February 18, 2011)

The Looming Food Crisis  (February 18, 2011)

Food: The Cost of Eating More Meat (February 14, 2011)

The Psychology of Food Riots (January 30, 2011)

Food Crises: We Need Architects, Not Firefighters (January 28, 2011)

The Arab Crisis: Food, Energy, Water, Justice (January 26, 2011)

Food Worries Rise in China (January 19, 2011)

Arab regimes Fear Bread Intifadah (January 18, 2011)

Latest Food Crisis Brewing for Months (January 10, 2011)

2010

Farmers on the Fringe of International Agri Policy (April 14, 2010)

Report Finds radical Change Needed For Global Agriculture (March 25, 2010)

Food Rights and Wrongs (March , 2010)

Green Revolution in India Wilts as Subsidies in India Backfire (February 23, 2010)

Snapshot of Food Security (February 5, 2010)

2009

 

Hunger Summit's Failure Exposes Grim Reality ( November 19, 2009)

The Global Food Price Crisis (June 26, 2009)

Studies Reveal Hunger Crisis in Malawi Despite Large Harvests (February 10, 2009)

Food is a Human Right, Not a Corporate Commodity (February 5, 2009)

The authors of this open letter challenge Paul Collier's view, which rules out the peasant model of organic and small-scale farming as a mechanism for resolving world hunger. Collier argues that 'scientific' commercial agribusiness and GM crops are the most effective way to increase food production. However, analysis from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization shows that small-scale agriculture can achieve far greater crop yields than commercial methods, while also maintaining biodiversity. With increasing speculation on food and oil prices contributing to the hunger crisis, food production must focus on the right to food and avoid Collier's route, which renders food primarily a marketable commodity. (Pambazuka)

Surprise Ending in Madrid! No Consensus on a G8 Driven Partnership...for Now (January 28, 2009)

The Feeding of the Nine Billion - Global Food Security for the 21st Century (January 2009)

In this report, the London based think-tank Chatham House outlines the drivers of the food crisis and presents a "ten-point agenda for international action" to tackle world hunger. In particular, policy-makers in the EU and the US should abolish agricultural subsidies and developing country governments must adopt measures that strengthen small-hold farmers. The report concludes that a "21st Century Green Revolution" must place power in the hands of the farmers rather than seed companies. (Chatham House)