Here's a simple idea to make a dent in hunger in the Philippines that has experienced rice shortages and high prices recently: If the world Bank can set up financing to buy one of those shiny new rice harvesting machines to send to the Philippines and people around the world can contribute a little bit to make the payments for the harvester, then the people in the Philippines can increase their production of rice and lift themselves out of hunger and poverty. If the first machine works well, then more could be bought later. I think the World Bank would like to see everyone's email about that idea.
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And by the time of the G8 in July, we must have a deal on trade that opens up rich-country markets and cuts subsidies, to help increase food production in poor countries.
We are close to a deal, but it will take real leadership from the G8, the U.N., the EU, the World Bank and the IMF in the coming weeks to secure it.
Robert Zoellick
President, the World Bank Group
For more than 2 billion people today, high food prices are a matter of daily struggle, sacrifice and survival. We estimate that the current food crisis could push 100 million people deeper into poverty. That could mean seven lost years in our efforts to overcome poverty worldwide. Beyond the numbers, it means stolen lives and stunted futures.
Donors must act now to support the World Food Program's call for about $755 million to meet emergency needs. Without this money, some will starve; there will be more food riots and political instability. For these people, the international system will have failed.
But there is a larger challenge here: overcoming hunger and malnutrition, the underlying cause of death of 3.5 million children each year.
Ministers from more than 150 countries have now endorsed a New Deal for Global Food Policy. We must turn these words into action. A New Deal will require action over the short, medium and long term: support for safety nets such as school feeding, food for work and conditional cash-transfer programs; increased agricultural production; a better understanding of the impact of biofuels, and action on the trade front to reduce distorting subsidies, hoarding, export bans and trade barriers.
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