Global food price increase forces major humanitarian organisation to cut 1.5 million beneficiaries from its food aid programme

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

One the world’s largest humanitarian organisations has announced it can no longer provide food to 1.5 million of the 7.5 million poor it fed last year. 

World Vision, whose work includes food programs in 35 countries, blamed the soaring cost of food and unmet donor aid commitments for a 23% decrease in the number of people it was able to provide with food aid. 

“We don't have enough food for more than a million people,” said World Vision's Director Policy and Programs, Paul Ronalds. “About 572,000 of them are children. 

“This crisis could take at least two years to stabilise. That's far too long for the millions of children under five who need good nutrition now to develop properly. Otherwise they can suffer irreversible damage, impaired brain development and stunted physical development. Poor nutrition also has tragic implications for a child’s education and future employment potential.” 

The World Bank estimates that the recent rise in food prices could push another 100 million people deeper into poverty. Ten per cent of these will be children under 5. 

Higher food prices aggravate malnutrition. The food price crisis is making a terrible situation even worse for many children in developing countries. Malnutrition already contributes to the deaths of more than 3.7 million children under five every year. Insufficient nutrition has also stunted the development of 147 million pre-school children in developing countries. Wasting (low weight for height) affects more than 46 million pre-school children annually. Malnourished children are also more likely to suffer and die from diseases like pneumonia, diarrhoea, acute respiratory illness, malaria and measles. 

“On top of the awful effects of malnutrition on children, increased malnutrition levels will further cripple nations whose struggling economies are already in desperate need of a strong, healthy and educated future workforce,” said Mr Ronalds. 

“Preventing child hunger and malnutrition must be top priority for the international community.” 

Call for funding the world food shortfall:

Though price increases are a major reason for the fall in food aid recipients, another is the failure by some donors to follow through on funding commitments made to the World Food Programme—one of World Vision’s largest source of food aid. 

The lack of available funds, combined with the rising prices, has caused some regular food delivery channels to dry up, and has prevented World Vision from launching several new food aid delivery projects where they are needed. In some countries it has even caused the organisation to halt food aid programming. 

World Vision is therefore calling on governments and other donors to fund the $500 million World Food Programme shortfall. It is urging the US Government, as the largest food aid donor, to release an additional $600 million to ensure it meets its existing commitments to food aid. 

“Of course, food aid by itself is not a panacea for hunger and malnutrition,” said Walter Middleton, World Vision’s Vice President for Food Programming and Management Group.

“Breastfeeding children need healthy mothers, small-scale farmers need support to grow food, communities need help to mitigate the effects of natural disasters,” Middleton said. “Therefore, the international community must also act now to establish a fund that supports those projects that will prevent vulnerable communities from becoming malnourished as a result of the pricing crisis. Wait too long to act, and treating millions of malnourished men, women and children will prove a huge undertaking. Prevention is considerably cheaper and more effective than cure. 

“If the international community does not act swiftly, then not only will rising food prices undermine the poverty gains of the last five to 10 years, but they will ultimately put a brake on developing countries’ chances for any real future development through its youngest citizens.” 

For inquiries contact Michelle Rice on 0402 503 227

Media Releases, Famine, Asia and the Pacific, Disaster relief, Famine, Foreign Aid, Nutrition, World Food Crises

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