The Other Crisis: 1 billion hungry people need help now

In a report released today (January 26) at the UN conference on the global food crisis in Madrid, international agency Oxfam warns that the severe food shortages currently faced by five countries could be the tip of a global shortage.

In A Billion Hungry People, Oxfam notes that the price of food has fallen from last year's spike, but is expected to rise sharply this year and the picture remains bleak, with one in six people facing chronic hunger. Severe food shortages currently affect Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique and Zimbabwe (see below).

In a statement, Oxfam urged donor governments not to allow the economic downturn to divert resources away from helping the poorest people on the planet.

'The need to invest significant sums in our ailing economy must not become an excuse to turn our backs on those women and men suffering hunger today, said Robert Fox, executive director of Oxfam Canada.

'When prices spiked last year, Canada wisely increased humanitarian assistance and untied its food aid, Fox added. 'This year's federal budget should enhance our capacity to assist the hungry and address the underlying causes of hunger, such as climate change, energy and water scarcity, and decades of underinvestment in agriculture.'

Oxfam's report details the threats to global food security:

• One in six of the world's population is hungry, almost a billion people
• Thirteen million children are born stunted annually due to hunger experienced by the mother
• Over half of all childhood deaths in the developing world are hunger-related
• Mild malnutrition increases the risk of death by 2.5 times compared to children who are adequately nourished
• The proportion of overseas development assistance spent on agriculture has fallen from almost a fifth in 1980 to just 3 per cent today
• Even before the rise in prices last year:

1. More than 24,000 people died of hunger-related causes every day
2. A child died every of hunger-related causes every five seconds

Robert Fox said: 'The budget should include the planned eight percent increase in the international aid budget. Eight percent amounts to about $10 a Canadian, which may not sound like much, but it could save thousands of lives.

To download a pdf copy of the report click here.

Annex: The Continuing Crisis

Afghanistan

Five million people are acutely affected by the food crisis in Afghanistan with a further 8.5 people suffering from chronic food insecurity. Afghanistan is particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in global prices as the country's agricultural production has dropped by half as a result of war, displacement of people, persistent drought and flooding.

Oxfam is helping to build grain banks for 31 communities in Daikundi province. These allow communities to buy in grain when it is cheap, and distribute it to those most in need to see them through the winter without taking loans or selling livestock. 1,814 households (approximately 9,000 people) are receiving grain.

Ethiopia

Despite falls in food prices on global markets, the cost of cereal in Ethiopia remains 54 to 338 per cent higher than at the same time last year. Recent price increases following the harvest are of particular concern as this should be when prices are at their lowest.

Despite these concerns the World Food Programme faces a $359 million shortfall for its relief programme. Oxfam is supporting more than 110,000 vulnerable women, men and children by providing water, food, and a means of earning a living.

Kenya

With 10 million people at risk of food shortages, the Kenyan government declared a national emergency in early January and appealed for $400 million in aid. The emergency has been caused by a combination of drought, high food prices, and the effect of post-election violence in early 2008 that disrupted farming in the Rift Valley, the country's breadbasket.

After the severe drought in 2005-6, Oxfam's program in Turkana and Wajir has focused on drought preparedness and improving people's resilience, including better access to water.

Mozambique

Seven out of 11 provinces in Mozambique face acute food problems because of poor harvests. The UN estimates that 350,000 people are in need of food aid after large areas of the country received less than half the usual rainfall since October.

The World Food Programme has warned that without additional money it will run out of food supplies next month. Oxfam supports poor farmers to improve their access to sufficient foodby using different agricultural methods and diversifying their crops. The program also supports farmers' income opportunities by improving their access to markets.

Zimbabwe

Five million people, almost half the country's population, are dependent on food aid. Another million people are in need of aid but are not receiving it because donors have not provided sufficient funding. Rations given to hungry families have already been cut once and may have to be slashed further next month.

A recent survey by the World Food Programme found that one out of eight households had not eaten anything the previous day. In October 2008 Oxfam began a six-month food aid program providing support to 165,000 vulnerable people in Midlands province. We are now expanding this to reach around 250,000 people. We are also providing farmers with seeds and fertilizer.