Focus on food security
Javier Blas looks ahead to what is likely to come out of the World Food Summit in Rome following the decision to water down the declaration
The global food crisis
Resources
Tight supplies, changing weather patterns and rising demand in emerging economies have all contributed to rising food prices and raising concerns about food security
More in this section
Mekong’s turbulent fight for survival
The region faces a difficult balancing act between development and conservation
Fishermen urge EU to end dumping
Scottish crews seek rethink
The many roads to food security
Plethora of platitudes on feeding poor
UN to regulate farmland grab deals
Officials are developing a code for land investors
UN links climate with hunger
Ban Ki-Moon warns rapid action needed
Related content and features
Interactive
The global food crisis
Interactive feature: Food prices have been rising steadily and the effects are being felt globally. What role do biofuels and weather play? How does the cost of oil factor into the price of food? Our multimedia feature explores the factors that contribute to global food price inflation, while our interactive map shows which countries the inflationary impact been the highest?
Video
The case against full global liberalisation
Michel Barnier, French agriculture minister, discusses regional self-sufficiency, tariffs in the food crisis and the future of the Common Agriculture Policy
Comment
A hungry world will not wait
Visitors to next week’s World Food Summit are likely to be more interested in photo-opportunities than progress. Its force and urgency appear weakened at the very moment that past advances are being lost
Commodities breakfast club sees price rises
Crop disruption coupled with increasing demand are fuelling rises, writes Javier Blas
Feast and famine
Self-sufficiency is an appealing slogan in Britain, and reducing waste is common sense. But such prescriptions are no way to solve the global food crisis
Fix the land deals
If, geopolitically, food is the new oil, countries contemplating agricultural land deals – as investors or as hosts – should heed history’s lessons on natural resource exploitation
The world must learn to live and farm sustainably
Investment not charity is the only viable solution for a sustainable solution to food security. Japan will work with key partners to agree on principles and compile good practices, writes Taro Aso
Concerns mount over sharp rise in food costs
After a year worrying about the piggy bank, the world economy is slowly turning its attention back to the cupboard, writes Javier Blas in London
Food security is G8 chance of relevance
The leaders of richer countries must make sure that their nations eschew bilateral barter deals and end their shameful agricultural subsidies – especially those taking the form of in-kind food aid
Still sound reasons to cultivate agriculture
Crises aside, the main drivers of future food shortages remain
The world must feed its hungry
To encourage efficient global food production patterns, governments must adopt policies to ensure that food exporters and importers alike have well-functioning international markets
