Source: The Standard

The burgeoning world financial crisis has pushed the attention of policymakers away from the threat of rising food prices, but the global food shortage is far from over, Mr Joachim von Braun, the Director General, International Food Policy Research Institute(IFPRI) has said.

“It continues to threaten the food and nutrition security of poor people around the globe,” Braun states in an emailed response to the current credit crunch that has hit the world’s leading economies.

The financial crisis has reduced demand and speculative activity, leading to lower food prices, and this may provide some relief to poor consumers.

The credit crunch is preventing accelerated flow of capital to long-term investments in sectors such as agriculture, just as this investment is urgently needed, undermining production growth toward a more resilient global food system.

“The pattern of low global investment in agricultural research and development has contributed to slower growth in agricultural productivity,” Braun warns. “Unless the world addresses these challenges, the livelihoods and food security of millions of poor people, as well as the economic, ecological, and political situation in many developing countries, will remain at risk”

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