STWR - Share The World's Resources

A report from the Institute for Food and Development Policy looking at the reasons behind the current food crisis and the solutions being prescribed - arguing that the future of our food systems are being decided de facto by unregulated global markets, financial speculators, and global monopolies, by Eric Holt-Giménez.

As world leaders met for the latest summit on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), ActionAid released a report to highlight how rich countries have contributed to the current food crisis. At the same time, Christian Aid and War on Want highlighted the negative impact of liberalisation and corporate abuses on the goals to eradicate global poverty.

The number of food-insecure people in 70 developing countries rose from 849 million to 982 million in 2006-07, USDA’s Economic Research Service estimates.

Waste plays a central role in the ongoing food crisis as immense amounts of food are lost to processing, transport, sale, and consumption, says a report  released during World Water Week.

Global food import bills are increasing, partly due to soaring demand for biofuels, according to FAO’s latest Food Outlook report. Global expenditures on imported foodstuffs look set to surpass US$400 billion in 2007, almost 5 percent above the record of the previous year.

The global rush to switch from oil to energy derived from plants will drive deforestation, push small farmers off the land and lead to serious food shortages and increased poverty unless carefully managed, says the most comprehensive survey yet completed of energy crops.

This paper provides a comprehensive history, overview and analysis of the Food Sovereignty Policy Framework, with links to many key statements and documents produced over the past decade.