World Food Day is celebrated every year around the world on 16 October in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945.The World Food Day theme for 2011 is "Food prices - from crisis to stability". Price swings, upswings in particular, represent a major threat to food security in developing countries. Hardest-hit are the poor. According to the World Bank, in 2010-2011 rising food costs pushed nearly 70 million people into extreme poverty. Food prices are now at an all time high and have gone up 40% over the past 4 years. Prices for cereals have gone up even more with staples such as wheat up 64% and corn more than doubling in price in just the last year. This spike in food prices puts at risk the eradication of hunger and child malnutrition.
“FOOD PRICES – FROM CRISIS TO STABILITY” has been chosen as this year’s World Food Day theme to shed some light on this trend and what can be done to mitigate its impact on the most vulnerable.
On World Food Day 2011, let us look seriously at what causes swings in food prices, and do what needs to be done to reduce their impact on the weakest members of global society.
resources:
LPF Hunger Resources, Hunger and Development Links
FAO warns of high, volatile food price effects
They live in a world of plenty, but one in seven will go hungry today
World Food Day USA Directory of Organizations
"Taking Root" five-part congregation education program on hunger.
Genetically Modified Foods and World Hunger
