Over half of those hungry in the world today are smallholder farmers or waged agricultural workers. Governments and the agribusiness sector must work together to transform the currently unjust food system, says a report by Olivier De Schutter.
While proponents of biotechnology claim that GM crops could help tackle growing climate pressures such as water shortages, campaigners warn that the a greater use of chemicals and further deforestation may actually increase carbon emissions. Report by Friends of the Earth.
Smallholders in the livestock industry are unable to compete
with larger, more intensive producers. A widening gulf is emerging between
those who can take advantage of growing demand for animal food products and
those who cannot, says a report by FAO.
The decision by EU countries in 2008 to obtain 10 percent of all transport fuels from agricultural crops is proving disastrous for poor countries. As European companies acquire land for fuel production, up to 100 million more people could go hungry, says a report by ActionAid.
Despite the continuing threat of further food crises, international support for long-term agricultural programmes remains neglected. Overseas aid should target small-scale farmers in order to tackle global hunger, says a report by the APPG on Agriculture and Food for Development.
In 2009, the number of undernourished people in the world reached a record high of one billion. International trade rules must be fundamentally reshaped to put human rights, particularly the right to adequate food, at the centre of economic policy, says a report by IATP et al.
Without a redistribution of power away from agribusiness, real solutions to hunger and food insecurity are not possible. Far reaching reform of national and international governance is required to prioritise the right to food, says a report by Agribusiness Action Initiatives.