Price of Food

UK food prices are expected to rise by 10 percent in 2011, causing hardship for many in their supermarket shop. However, in some countries - where up to 80 percent of meagre incomes are spent on food - hardship becomes catastrophe. Children go hungry and undernourished. Men and especially women feel pressured to take up exploitative employment. Healthcare and education become unaffordable. Families become prey to loan sharks.

According to Professor John Beddington, the author of a recent UK-government commissioned report on Food and Farming Futures, around 925 million people suffer hunger every day and perhaps a further billion lack micronutrients. That’s in a good year.

The World Bank estimates that since June 2010 rising food costs have pushed 44 million more people into poverty. “The food system is working for the majority of people but those at risk of hunger have least influence on decision-making,” concedes Professor Beddington.

Meanwhile, the volatility of food markets makes it hard for farmers to plan their crops cycles. In 2008, spiralling food costs led to riots across the developing world. Two years on, unrest in North Africa and the Middle East has been linked with another price surge. Alleged culprits are poor harvests, rising oil costs, growing demand for biofuels, export restrictions (by countries such as Russia who hold massive surpluses of grain) and speculation in commodity markets by investment banks.

Tearfund is calling on the UK government, the UN and the G20 to build the resilience of smallholder farmers to further shocks in the most vulnerable countries, prevent bans on the export of much-needed food and support Climate Change Adaption by encouraging the growing of indigenous crops like cassava, millet and sorghum that are not widely traded on international markets.

Pray in solidarity with the world’s poorest people who feel the most impact in an increasingly complex global economy. Pray for good harvests around the globe, especially in the poorest countries. Finally, ask for radical reform of food markets and global coordination by the UN to respond early and effectively.

(Based on Food price rises bring hunger insecurity. www.tearfund.org. March 31 2011)