As leaders gather in Rome to discuss the global food crisis, our task is clear, but not sim­ple: to help those in danger today and ensure that the poor do not suffer this tragedy again.

What has been described as a silent tsunami is not a natural catastrophe, but is man-made. The nexus between high energy and food prices is unlikely to be broken, and will be exacerbated by global climate change. The results have been rising production and transport costs for agriculture, falling food stocks and land shifted out of food production to produce energy substitutes. This is a 21st century food-for-oil crisis.