[hepr-vn] ECONOMIC STIMULUS MUST ADDRESS FOOD CRISIS IN ASIA-PACIFIC – UN REPORT

[Vern Weitzel]

Subject: ECONOMIC STIMULUS MUST ADDRESS FOOD CRISIS IN ASIA-PACIFIC – UN REPORT
Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:00:12 -0400
From: UNNews <UNNews at un.org>
To: <news9 at secint00.un.org>

ECONOMIC STIMULUS MUST ADDRESS FOOD CRISIS IN ASIA-PACIFIC – UN REPORT
New York, Apr 24 2009  2:00PM
Any economic recovery must take into account that the global financial 
catastrophe has spiralled into a food crisis for the 583 million people 
struggling to make a living across the Asia-Pacific region, according to a new 
United Nations report released today.

The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific 
(<"http://www.unescap.org/unis/press/2009/apr/g31.asp">ESCAP) study warned that 
rising unemployment and falling incomes, on top of already high food prices, are 
increasing the pressure on the poor and vulnerable in the region.

Raising concerns over the return of pressures that drove food prices to historic 
highs last year once the global economy recovers, the “Sustainable Agriculture 
and Food Security in Asia and the Pacific” report stressed that the food crisis 
must be addressed as part of the response to the global economic meltdown.

“Efforts at stimulating the economies also provide us a window of opportunity to 
address the systemic issues related to food insecurity,” said Noeleen Heyzer, 
ESCAP Executive Secretary.

She noted that “while the world’s attention is very much on the economic crisis, 
food insecurity remains a real threat.

The study re-affirms that poverty is the leading cause of food insecurity in the 
Asia-Pacific region, which is home to 62 per cent of world’s undernourished. The 
lack of access to land also prevents many poor people from growing their own 
food. Other causes for food insecurity range from low farm revenues to volatile 
fuel prices and speculation.

Protectionist trade policies pushing up food prices is another cause of food 
insecurity highlighted in the study, as most countries in the region meet their 
national needs through imports.

The new report recommends improving the ability for people to buy or access food 
through the development of social protection schemes such as minimum wage, 
unemployment benefits, “food-for-work” programmes, basic health care and 
agricultural insurance as short-term measures.

In the longer-term, food availability at the national level can be promoted 
through trade and investments in sustainable agriculture and small scale farmers 
will be important.
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