Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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Global food prices have risen by 40% in nine months and food reserves are at 
their lowest for 30 years.

Last Updated: Tuesday, 11 March 2008, 05:49 GMT
World warned on food price spiral
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7288959.stm

Rising prices have hit many poor people across the globe
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said he is deeply concerned about the 
sharp rise in global food prices.

Mr Ban said the trend would hinder progress towards the millennium 
development goals (MDGs), which aim to halve extreme poverty by 2015.

The UN World Food Program (WFP) and other agencies may be forced to ration 
food aid, he said in a BBC interview.

He said shortages might be eased by a "green revolution" to transform farming 
methods in Africa.

Global food prices have risen by 40% in nine months and food reserves are at 
their lowest for 30 years.

The WFP is facing a $500m (£248m) shortfall in its attempts to feed 73 
million people this year.

'Political challenge'

Mr Ban said that "many countries in particular in Africa they now have to pay 
double or triple the price for their bread," and warned that this would lead 
to increased malnutrition.

"This will all affect our MDG programmes - I am very much seriously concerned 
about this," he said.

The change has been blamed on poor harvests, population growth, rising energy 
and grain prices, the effects of climate change, and a shift to biofuel crops.

Although one UN official has called the increasing use of crops for fuel 
rather than food a crime against humanity, Mr Ban said there was a need to 
balance the positive and negative aspects of biofuels.

Among possible solutions, he said that "there is broad consensus that more 
resources should be provided to help an African green revolution".

But he cautioned that transforming commitments into action would be a "huge 
political challenge".

"We need to rededicate and commit ourselves by galvanising political will, by 
mobilising necessary recourses."