Hunger Crisis

ONE members responded in force to the daily stories of record-high food prices and resulting civil unrest in some of the poorest regions of the world. More than 140,000 members signed our petition to U.S. President George W. Bush calling for immediate attention to this issue at the G8 Summit and an increased focus on agriculture in the developing world.

Initial results were strong. The G8, led by Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, made the hunger crisis a top priority at their 2008 Summit. Individual member nations also took action. In the United States, President Bush pledged $770 million in emergency food aid to meet gaps caused by rapidly escalating prices for staple foods as well as some funds for sustainable agricultural development.

Concerns remain, however, about the global community's commitment to investing in developing world agriculture. These concerns only deepened with the onset of the global credit crunch and financial crisis later in 2008, and much more must be done to deal with the underlying causes of the global hunger crisis.