A young child drinks millet porridge © CARE / Kathryn RichardsA group of leading humanitarian and development agencies are today sounding a warning that the international community risks failing those living with hunger by not acting on the lessons from the 2008 food price crisis.

Agencies from the Hunger Alliance are calling for coherent action on food security and warn that the current food price crisis will once again hit the world’s most vulnerable people after a response to the 2008 crisis that was insufficient and often inappropriate.

Research commissioned by members of the Alliance and carried out by the Oakland Institute has analysed the failings by the international community in tackling the global food crisis, and highlights the need for action to prevent continued food price volatility.

Hunger Alliance spokesperson Karl Deering from CARE International UK, said: “The food price problem is simply not going to go away. Global policy responses have fallen short of protecting the world’s most vulnerable people. This is not a problem of global food availability - but of but of poverty and affordability of food.”

“Although the response to date has been weak, governments and international institutions can still take vital steps to mitigate hunger, including investments that favour small-holder farmers to support local food production and increasing attention to the nutritional status of women and children.”

The report, entitled The High Food Price Challenge makes a number of key recommendations, including:

• Boost the production of nutritious food in a sustainable manner and increase attention to the importance of access to land and natural resources.
• Invest in social protection mechanisms that target the poorest and most vulnerable, especially women and children.
• Prevent price volatility through regional integration and cooperation that sustains confidence and thus mitigates market panic.
• Scale up and broaden nutrition interventions that consider the relationship between livelihoods, food production, markets and malnutrition and the contribution that well designed agricultural programmes can make.

Notes to editors:

The High Food Price Challenge: A Review of Responses to Combat Hunger is a joint publication of members of the UK Hunger Alliance and the Oakland Institute.

The report can be downloaded here.

Members of the Hunger Alliance that contributed to this report are Action Against Hunger UK, CARE International UK, Concern Worldwide UK, Oxfam, Save the Children UK and Word Vision UK.
The Oakland Institute is an independent policy think tank whose mission is to increase public participation and promote fair debate on critical social, economic, and environmental issues. (www.oaklandinstitute.org).

For further information or interviews with spokespeople please contact Kathryn Richards - Senior Press Officer at CARE International UK:

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