Farmers From The Developing World Help To Feed The Global Hungry

The share of food aid sourced from farmers in the developing world
and channelled to the hungry rose to its highest level in history last
year. Newly published figures in the latest "Food Aid Flows" report from
INTERFAIS, the International Food Aid Information System, show that the
total amount of food aid originating in developing countries rose to 2.6
million tonnes in 2006 - nearly 40 per cent of global food aid deliveries.



"Connecting farmers from the developing world to feeding the hungry, helps
to create a virtuous circle in fighting poverty and hunger," said Josette
Sheeran, Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme
(WFP). "The increase in food aid sourced from developing countries
demonstrates that WFP and other humanitarian agencies are making
significant purchases in support of farmers and markets in the developing
world, and it also shows that developing countries themselves are playing
a
part in feeding the hungry."



In 2006, WFP was responsible for 56 percent of all global food aid
deliveries including 78 percent of emergency food aid deliveries. When
cash
donations were provided, last year WFP purchased 77 percent of its food
commodities from developing countries - 1.6 million tonnes, valued at US$
460 million.



This food aid identified in the INTERFAIS report, was either a direct
transfer from developing countries, or purchased in developing countries
and delivered to the hungry by non-governmental organisations and other
humanitarian agencies like WFP. The report notes that the proportion of
food aid sourced from farmers in developing countries has more than
tripled
over the past two decades.



The positive growth in food commodity purchases from the developing world
comes against the backdrop of an overall decline in the volume of global
food aid deliveries in 2006. Compared to the previous year, many
governments reduced their donations in 2006.



According to INTERFAIS - which is hosted by WFP to track worldwide
donations of food aid - deliveries dropped by 18 per cent, to 6.7 million
tonnes last year. This is the continuation of a downward trend in recent
years that has put donations at their lowest level since 1973.



One of the many factors that may have contributed to this decline was the
scaling back of humanitarian operations in the Democratic People's
Republic
of Korea in 2006. There were also relatively few complex humanitarian
disasters last year compared to 2005, which witnessed major crises such as
the Asian tsunami, the Pakistan earthquake and the impact of hurricanes in
Central America.



"While donations are declining, the numbers of hungry are growing," said
Josette Sheeran. "With less food available, WFP has to be more creative
about how it strives towards meeting the Millennium Development Goal of
halving the proportion of hungry people by 2015."



The "Food Aid Flows 2006" report and a number of additional statistical
tables can be found on the INTERFAIS website
(wfp/interfais)



WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency: on average, each year, we
give food to 90 million poor people to meet their nutritional needs,
including 58 million hungry children, in 80 of the world's poorest
countries. WFP - We Feed People.


wfp