In a joint statement made last week, the leaders of three international food organisations called on governments to act immediately to end hunger and defend the World's poorest from the effects of rising food prices, which, Oxfam has posited, are likely to become the norm over the next few years.

On Tuesday (4th September) José Graziano da Silva, Kanayo Nwanze and Ertharin Cousin, the heads of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development) and the UN World Food Programme, released a joint statement in which they said, "The current situation in world food markets, characterized by sharp increases in maize, wheat and soybean prices, has raised fears of a repeat of the 2007-2008 world food crisis” and advised that “swift, coordinated international action” is needed to avert a possible crisis.

The three said that there is a growing realisation that two interconnected problems must be tackled as soon as possible: "the immediate issue of some high food prices… and the long-term issue of how we produce, trade and consume food in an age of increasing population, demand and climate change."

Due to a rising world population, diets shifting towards a heavier reliance on animal products in ‘emerging economies’ and increased use of edible grains and prime agricultural land in biofuel production, pressures are increasing and leading to price rises within world grain markets. Maize and wheat prices rose to record levels in July, when the drought affecting the United States’ major agricultural regions was at its worst and fierce temperatures led to the US’ hottest month on record, which fell in the hottest 12 month period in the country since records began.

As a result of this, the leaders of FAO, IFAD and the World Food Programme said, "even in a good year, global grain production is barely sufficient to meet growing demands for food, feed and fuel."

They added that, recognising spikes in food prices affect different populations in different ways, a complex approach to addressing the problems facing producers and consumers is needed. The three agriculturalists suggested adopting a "twin-track approach which supports long-term investments in agriculture, notably smallholder agriculture, while ensuring that safety-nets are in place to help poor food consumers and producers avoid hunger"

The three added, "Until we find the way to shock-proof and climate-proof our food system, the danger will remain." They said that the "most obvious way" to address the problems identified "is to promote sustainable food production in poor, food-importing countries, where there is often huge potential to improve production."

There have been three international food price spikes in the last five years, each of which was driven by extreme weather. Droughts in some part of the world have impaired global grain production virtually every other year since 2007. Whilst in the West, corporate interests have often used this as an excuse to call for more intensive production, there is an increasing global realisation that moves to ensure food security will require challenging the lack of access to food caused by inequality and supporting development of sustainable, resilient agricultural systems in areas where food security is currently a major issue.

In response to the agriculture organisations' calls, anti-poverty charity Oxfam has urged world leaders to act immediately to prevent a crisis. Oxfam spokesperson Colin Roche criticised the G20's current cautious approach, reiterating that, although there has been widespread relief that food prices did not rise further in August, the latest figures from the FAO Food Price Index show global food prices remain at all-time highs for a number of items.  

Roche said, "Food prices remain at peak levels and governments cannot turn their backs on the need to take action. The G20 wants to wait for US crop results before acting when it’s clear that prices remain high and millions of people cannot afford to eat. Only the powerful G20 leaders have the political muscle to tackle the multiple problems which are driving this crisis and making a future crisis all the more likely."

He continued, "It's time for the G20 to call a meeting of its new Rapid Response Forum. Governments should end the biofuels mandates which convert food into fuel, act to ensure no export restrictions are imposed by the major food exporting countries, and provide assistance to poor people at risk. Long-term, government action is needed to prevent food crises by insisting on better regulation and more transparency in commodity markets, increasing investment in small holder agriculture and supporting poor countries to set up food reserves."

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