13 October 2011
IFPRI’s 2011 Global Hunger Report Focuses on Food Price Volatility
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The report, titled "2011 Global Hunger Index: The challenge of hunger: Taming price spikes and excessive food prices volatility," attributes the price changes to increasing use of food crops for biofuels, extreme weather and climate change, and increased volume of trading in commodity futures markets.

12 October 2011: In advance of World Food Day, celebrated on 16 October, the International Food Price Research Institute (IFPRI) has released a report titled “2011 Global Hunger Index: The challenge of hunger: Taming price spikes and excessive food prices volatility.”

The report underscores that, though global hunger has declined since 1990, it remains at a serious level, with the highest hunger scores in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. The report describes progress in Angola, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger and Viet Nam.

It notes the negative impacts of rising and volatile prices attributing the price changes to increasing use of food crops for biofuels, extreme weather and climate change, and increased volume of trading in commodity futures markets. In particular, it underlines that concentrated export markets leaves food importing countries dependent on just a few countries. The report suggests addressing price spikes and volatility by revising biofuel policies, regulating financial activity on food markets, and adapting to and mitigating climate change. IFPRI is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [Publication: 2011 Global Hunger Index: The challenge of hunger: Taming price spikes and excessive food price volatility] [IFPRI Press Release]

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