Halo concerned viewers. Food security has recently become a hot topic. In honor of the United Nations World Food Day, today’s program will explore the root causes of global food insecurity, possible consequences of inaction, and solutions.

The summer of ２０１０ in the northern hemisphere brought a series of extreme weather events linked to climate change, including a massive heat wave across all of Europe, Northern Africa, parts of Asia and North America.

In Russia, the heat wave, along with a drought of proportions not seen in ５,０００ years,sparked massive fires.   During the same summer period, heavy rains from an intense monsoon created a flood disaster in Pakistan. At one point, a full fifth of the nation was under water, including fertile crop lands.  

Meanwhile, crop losses and lower yields across the northern hemisphere this summer caused global grain prices to spike up to levels not seen since ２００８, making food too expensive in many developing countries.
The tensions created by such a situation can even lead to conflict. It was not long before Mozambique saw food protests sadly resulting in fatalities in September ２０１０.

Economics editor Sean O'Grady of 『The Independent』 in the United Kingdom noted in response to this problem as it unfolded: 『In developing and emerging economies… the challenge is in some cases a matter of life and death.

In these countries food represents a much higher proportion of household budgets than in the West, and they are less able to withstand such shocks.』  Prior to ２００７, spikes in prices were due to one-time events like a monsoon failure. 

The ２０１０ food price increases, however, were more alarming because they are part of longer term directions in which demand for food is outpacing the growth in food supply.

As Britain’s 『Telegraph』 news stated, 『The crises in Russia and Pakistan are a reminder that, for the last ２０ years, the growth of the world's population has outstripped that of its agricultural output.』