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What Are You Doing About High Food Prices?
Every country situation is different. But in most countries the recent
sharp rise in global food prices is showing up in local price rises.
In the richer countries, where most people spend only a small part
of their income on food, everyone is complaining about the rising prices
but most consumers are unlikely to change their eating habits. Everywhere,
however, in both developing and developed countries, rising food prices
make life very tough for poor families. If you normally spend two thirds
of your income on food and the price rises by 50%, the only option is to
cut the amount of food you and your family buy and eat. This means that,
unless something is done, many more people are bound to fall into the hunger
trap, from which the only escape is usually sickness and early death. They
risk dying of hunger in the midst of plenty of food.
The other side of the coin is that high prices are good news for
farmers – provided that they, rather than the middle-men, receive
them. Better prices will improve their income and encourage them to invest
in expanding their production. This, in turn, will tend to act as a stabilising
influence on food prices
In some countries, in response to concerns about food shortages
and rising prices, speculation and hoarding of grains are rampant. This
can create a situation in which there is plenty of food in the country but
people are literally starving because prices are out of their reach – dying
in the midst of abundance.
National Alliances Against Hunger have a very important role at
this time. They need to make sure that enough is being done in their country
to ensure that everyone can lead a healthy life. Possible ways in which
they can contribute to solving the problem include:
1. Understand what is happening to food prices and supplies, and
who is benefiting and who is losing.
2. Identify the categories of people who are most at risk of hunger
and malnutrition and the approximate scale of the problem.
3. Meet with families that are suffering from food price rises
and learn about their coping strategies and what they believe are the solutions.
4. Meet with concerned government ministries and departments responsible
for food supplies, social security, health , human rights, and agriculture
to find out what they are doing about the issue.
5. Meet with grain traders and discuss ways of curbing speculation
and hoarding, and reach an understanding on this.
6. If too little is being done, engage with the government and
leading CSOs in identifying, designing and implementing immediate solutions,
focusing on ones that will not undermine incentives for farmers to engage
in expanding future food production. (see box, below).
7. Brief the media on the situation and proposed solutions. Using
the media, suggest to individuals the things that they can do to alleviate
the situation.
8. Contact international organizations, especially those that are
members of the International Alliance Against Hunger (FAO, IFAD, WFP, Biodiversity
International, UNICEF): inform them on what you are doing and alert them
to areas in which their assistance might be helpful.
9. Contact other NAAH that might have relevant experience and invite
them to share this with you.
10. Help responsible agencies to put in place monitoring systems
to detect food deficiencies and to ensure that programmes to address the
problem are being run honestly and reaching those families that are most
in need.
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