Caused in part by
crop failures linked to
various climate-related
natural disasters along
with fuel price increases,
a global food price index
monitored by
the United Nations
Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO)
has surpassed
a 2008 record high,
with global corn prices
up 52%, wheat up 49%
and soy up 28%
relative to 2010.
Rising food costs
have already led to
recent rallies and unrest
in Morocco, Algeria,
Jordan, Mozambique
and Yemen.
Officials caution that
the situation is becoming
dangerous, with
climate change expected
to decrease crop yields
due to more extreme
weather events.
Following recent widespread
and damaging floods
in Australia,
some food items
have risen 20% in price
in cities such as Sydney
and Melbourne.
The FAO cautions that
those who continue
to be most at risk are
in the developing world,
where an average 70%
of household income
is spent on food.
Guriya Devi, Indian housewife:
Lentils cost almost
$1.5 a kilo, so do you
think we can eat them?
The price used to be
60 cents - we could
buy them then, now
we can't even think of it.
What can we do with
the income we have?
Poor people like us
are suffering.
Baiju, Indian taxi driver
The price of lentils and
rice has gone up so much
that we've stopped
eating lentils.
Even potatoes have
become expensive…
Our family survives
by eating just
vegetables and rice.
In Kenya, the price of
staples such as maize
and beans have spiked,
causing most of
the northern Kenyan
population to be at risk
of starvation.
The nation's Red Cross
reported that
these conditions come
after crop failures
in the three consecutive
planting seasons,
with young children,
expectant mothers,
and elderly suffering
the worst impacts
of malnutrition.
International relief
agencies have been trying
to distribute emergency
food supplies in the area.
Our thanks for
the concerned alerts
as well as the efforts
of the United Nations
Food and Agriculture
Organization,
the Kenyan Red Cross
and others in addressing
the challenging situation
faced by people
across the globe due to
increasing food prices.
May we step together
in sustainable,
climate-stabilizing
actions to ensure
worldwide sustenance,
especially
for the most vulnerable.
Supreme Master Ching Hai
has often
addressed concerns
of high food prices
and shortages while
encouraging humanity's
considerate participation
toward alleviating
these problems,
as during an October
2009 videoconference
in Indonesia.
Supreme Master Ching Hai: There are
1.02 billion people
with not enough food
in the world.
While we are sitting here
in safety and comfort,
and have sufficient food
for ourselves
and our family,
our neighboring people,
our world co-citizens,
more than one billion
of them,
are living in poverty,
in hunger, in thirst.
No sufficient water,
no clean water,
no food to eat.
Children are dying
every few seconds.
Statistically,
every five seconds
one child dies of hunger.
Besides, we are facing
a food shortage
with high food prices.
The most important first step
is to stop buying and
eating meat, fish, eggs,
dairy, and any animal
products for you and
for your family's sake,
for the natural resources'
sake, and
to plant the seeds for a
better agricultural system
for everyone.
In this way, not only can
all the farmers prosper -
we help them in this way -
but everyone will
prosper and enjoy
a long and thriving life.
http://www.spa.gov.sa/English/details.php?id=852906chttp://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/extreme-weather-sends-food-prices-soaring/?partner=rss&emc=rssdhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/the-coming-hunger-record-food-prices-put-world-in-danger-says-un-2177220.htmhttp://www.straitstimes.com/PrimeNews/Story/STIStory_621350.htmlhttp://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/pdf/20110106/070111p1.pdfhttp://www.theage.com.au/national/fruit-and-vegetable-prices-to-jump-20110107-19iwe.html
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