G8 agrees €15bn fund to help feed world’s poor

BARACK Obama and fellow rich nation leaders have unveiled a $20 billion (€14.3bn) fund to help feed the developing world.

On the last day of the G8 summit in Italy, the US president and his peers tried to answer criticism they had turned their backs on those most vulnerable to the global economic crisis and held talks with African leaders.

As Obama prepared to embark on his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa, delegates said he played a key role in persuading around 30 countries to bankroll a fund aimed at helping smallholder farmers increase crop yields.