Background
One in six people worldwide now suffers from chronic hunger. Over a billion women, men, and children. And the problem is not limited to poor countries. While the US is one of the wealthiest countries on earth, over 39 million Americans live in poverty. At Oxfam, we’re working on solutions to ensure that no one, no matter where he or she lives, has to go to sleep hungry.
According to the UN's World Food Program, the number of food emergencies around the globe has increased from an average of 15 per year during the 1980s to more than 30 per year since 2000.
In 2008 alone, rising food prices forced an additional 40 million people into hunger. In many developing countries, volatile markets and fluctuating prices are forcing people to eat less food or less nutritious food, and driving poor households to cut back on health care, education, and other necessities in order to cover rising food costs. Landless households, and those headed by women, are often the worst affected.Food prices are likely to remain volatile for years to come, as a result of a number of factors. Increased demand, rising energy costs, and more widespread use of food for biofuels have come together to drive prices up.
Many small farmers in poor countries report that they can't increase production and take advantage of higher prices because they lack access to water, seeds, fertilizers, and markets. In addition, climate change is expected to lead to more unpredictable weather and climate-related disasters, increasing volatility in yields and markets and undermining food availability for millions of people, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
