Global News Post: World Food Program

Rise in Argentina’s Maize Exports to Ease Pressure in International Food Markets – UN

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva (left) with <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Norberto Yauhar, Minister of Agriculture, Argentina.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HI; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Photo: FAO/Alessia Pierdomenico</span></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">UN News – Argentina’s announcement that it would export an additional 2.75 million tonnes of maize this year will help ease tight international markets, the United Nations food agency said today, adding that while this is a welcome measure, countries must remain vigilante to avoid a global food crisis.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the announcement was made by Argentina’s Minister of Agriculture, Norberto Yauhar, who had just met with FAO’s Director-General, José Graziano da Silva, at the UN agency’s headquarters in Rome, Italy.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“This goes to show that there is no threat of a global food crisis at present, although we must continue to be vigilant and monitor the situation closely,” Mr. Graziano da Silva said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Argentina is the world’s second biggest exporter of maize, and was responsible roughly for 15 per cent of the world’s maize exports in the last three years. The increase will bring the amount of maize from the 2011-2012 harvest to a total of 16.45 million tonnes, FAO stated in a news release.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">This summer’s drought in the United States – the worst in over 50 years – fuelled fears of a food crisis when the FAO Food Price Index, which measures the prices of 55 food commodities, including meat, dairy, sugar, and cereals, surged by six per cent in July. However, food prices have remained steady in the past month.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">During their meeting, Mr. Yauhar and Mr. Graziano da Silva noted that the world is now better placed to cope with higher food prices than during the crisis of 2007-2008, partly because of mechanisms likes the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS), which contributes to increasing market transparency and reducing price volatility.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Mechanisms like AMIS, which was established in 2011 by the Group of 20 (G20) leading economies, make it possible for countries to coordinate action and respond faster to volatile food price situations, Mr. Graziano da Silva said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The two men noted that there was better coordination within the UN system to address food security issues and stressed that it was important for countries to work together through international mechanisms rather than taking unilateral action, according to FAO. They also underlined that financial markets and trade should be regulated to avoid speculation on prices, which contribute to their volatility.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Mr. Graziano da Silva also emphasized the need for the international donor community to increase its immediate and long-term support to poor countries, which are significantly affected by changes in the prices of the food basket.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) – which provides food relief in humanitarian emergencies such as war and natural disasters – every 10 per cent increase in the price of its food basket means finding an additional $200 million a year to buy the same amount of food.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Rise in Argentina’s Maize Exports to Ease Pressure in International Food Markets – UN

FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva (left) with Norberto Yauhar, Minister of Agriculture, Argentina. Photo: FAO/Alessia Pierdome...

All for one aim: Multi-pronged approach to fight hunger

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Photo credit: Julie Carney, Gardens for Health International</span></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><i>Crossposted from the Worldwatch Institute's Nourishing the Planet project</i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 8.0pt;">By <a href="http://www.groundreport.com/NourishingthePlanet"><span style="text-decoration: none;">NourishingthePlanet</span></a>   <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The volatility of food prices, in particular price upswings, represents a major threat to food security in developing countries and typically affects poor populations the hardest. According to the World Bank, during 2010–11 rising food costs pushed nearly 70 million people worldwide into extreme poverty.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">World Food Day is a global event designed to increase awareness and understanding and to create year-round action to alleviate hunger. Since 1981, the event has been observed on October 16 in recognition of the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a specialized agency that was established in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Quebec City</st1:city>,  <st1:country-region w:st="on">Canada</st1:country-region></st1:place>, in 1945. This year’s World Food Day theme is “Food prices – crisis to stability,” with the purpose of shedding some light on this trend and what can be done to mitigate its impact on the most vulnerable.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Since the inception of World Food Day, organizations have taken advantage of the occasion to inform the public about what they can do to help end world hunger. Although the number of undernourished people worldwide has decreased since 2009, to nearly 1 billion, it is still unacceptably high. According to a recent FAO report, in <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place> alone, nearly one-third of the population is undernourished and one child dies every six seconds because of the problem.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">On October 16 of this year, countries, organizations, and communities are organizing events to educate and raise awareness, with the aim of addressing widespread problems in food supply and distribution systems. These events are raising money to support projects that focus on initiatives such as measures to ease population growth, boost incomes, and prepare farmers to protect their harvests against the negative effects of climate change, among others.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Throughout the world, organizations and governments are developing and implementing various plans to stabilize food prices and ensure that there is food on every table. Here are just a few examples:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify;"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">India</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">. The government is in the process of      enacting a food security act that would provide food for nearly 70 percent      of the population, specifically targeting the poor, who are often not      counted in state surveys and who are denied many benefits.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify;"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Armenia</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">. The government is enacting a      sustainable development program that invests in infrastructure improvements,      makes financial services and credit available to farmers, encourages the      environmentally sustainable use of natural resources, and ensures food      safety by improving food standards.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Telefood.      Launched in 1997 by the FAO, Telefood funds micro projects that help      small-scale farmers at the grassroots level. The projects aim to help      farmers be more productive and to improve both local communities' access      to food and farmers' access to cash income. Telefood is involved in 130      countries worldwide.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">World Food      Programme. The WFP operates in 74 countries and is the world’s largest      humanitarian agency fighting hunger. Currently, the Horn of Africa is      suffering from the worst drought in 60 years, and 4 million people are in      crisis in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Somalia</st1:place></st1:country-region>,      with 750,000 people at risk of death in the next four months. WFP is      providing food assistance to nearly 1 million people in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Somalia</st1:place></st1:country-region>      and will scale up its operations during the coming months to reach some      1.9 million people.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Hunger Free      World. This Japanese NGO was formalized in 2000 with the goal of ending      hunger and poverty through education and awareness around the world. The      group supports local initiatives and young volunteers, organizes      information programs, and joins forces with national and international      networks to make these issues a priority for both citizens and      politicians.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Trussell      Trust. This charity works to empower local communities to combat poverty      and exclusion in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United Kingdom</st1:country-region>      and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bulgaria</st1:place></st1:country-region>.      Last year, the group’s <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.K.</st1:place></st1:country-region>      food bank network fed more than 60,000 hungry people.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><o:p>  </o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">There is no single solution to end world hunger, and these are just a few of the organizations that are taking the multi-pronged approach that is necessary to address this global problem. World Food Day is the perfect occasion for researchers, policymakers, and NGOs to reflect on the existing efforts as well as potential future initiatives that can help fight global hunger and malnutrition. ---<a href="http://www.groundreport.com/World/All-for-one-aim-Multi-pronged-approach-to-fight-hu/2941975"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Ground Report</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

All for one aim: Multi-pronged approach to fight hunger

Photo credit: Julie Carney, Gardens for Health International Crossposted from the Worldwatch Institute's Nourishing the Planet proj...