Give local farmers the help they need in fight against global poverty

THE United Nation's Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warned this week that as many as one billion people across the globe will go hungry this year as a result of the recession, and increasing global food prices.

Amidst the doom and gloom that has engulfed Ireland in recent months, this is a sobering statistic indeed.

The FAO calculates that $30 billion is needed to help the world's poor, and has urged overseas development agencies to invest more in agriculture, to avert the current threat.