G8 ministers get it right on global food security

MOVES by the G8 agriculture ministers to put farming and food security at the heart of the international agenda during their first summit in Treviso, Italy, are to be welcomed.

The recognition by world powers of the need for short, mid- and long-term measures to tackle food insecurity and poverty in the aftermath of last year’s global food security crisis and consequent price hikes is an encouraging step in the right direction for the world’s poor.

Although the global economic downturn has caused international prices of agricultural commodities to fall dramatically since last summer, prices are still well above previous lows in many countries and the stark reality is that the numbers who are poor and hungry has increased in the past year.