Avert this food crisis before it’s too late

THIS week, as world leaders gather in Maryland in the USA for the G8 meeting, I am in Burkina Faso in West Africa visiting communities on the brink of disaster.

Since I arrived, I have witnessed feeding centres struggling to cope with malnourished children. I have seen families who have used all their food and money and sold livestock in a bid to survive, but have run out of options. I have seen communities struggling to support each other but after failed harvests, there simply isn’t enough food and water to go around.

It seems a world away from the high-profile international summit, but an urgent response to the critical food crisis in eight countries in West Africa must be at the top of the agenda for G8 leaders. This is not — yet — a desperate situation in which nothing can be done. An urgent response can still prevent the worst ravages of this food crisis and prevent needless deaths.