Double Edged Prices
High food prices add 119 million people living with extreme hunger, says Oxfam report, while food companies reap record profits
A new report from international agency Oxfam says the number of malnourished people in the world has jumped to 967 million from 848 million two years ago, due to sharply rising food prices. Many of the hungry are small-scale farming women and men who have little clout in markets, get little support from government, and have therefore not benefited from higher prices, the report maintains.
In Double Edged Prices, Oxfam says the rise in hunger underscores the importance of investing in agriculture, ensuring that trade does not undermine food security, and maintaining social policies that protect the poorest.
Publication Date:
16 October 2008 
