Worldwide Hunger and Food Insecurity Rise Dramatically

The number people in 70 of the world’s lower income countries who are “food insecure” and live with persistent hunger increased by more than 130 million people between 2006 and 2007—from 849 million to 982 million—according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

People who are food insecure consume less than 2,100 calories daily, the nutritional target set by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. In its 2006 Food Security Assessment, the USDA predicted that the number of hungry and malnourished people worldwide would fall to 800 million by 2017. In the 2007 report, however, the agency had to revise its previous conclusion, and now estimates that the number of food-insecure people in developing countries will expand to 1.2 billion within a decade.

Grain prices rose about 50 percent between 2005 and 2007, and USDA long-term projections indicate about 90 percent of the price increase will persist over the next 10 years, thanks in part to the biofuel boom and to increased consumption of grain-fed meat by the rapidly expanding Asian middle class.

Rising food and fuel prices have put pressure on many developing nations—especially those in sub-Saharan Africa—where the cost of food often accounts for more than 50 percent of total household expenses, and where the higher cost of importing energy is now reducing food imports.

Also See:

• Food Security Assessment, 2007 – U.S. Department of Agriculture
• World hunger afflicted millions more in '07—USDA -- Reuters
• Can Organic Farming End World Hunger?
• The Pros and Cons of Biofuels
• Ethanol: Frequently Asked Questions
• What are the Effects of Drought?
• Serious Effects of Global Warming Already Have Begun