United Nations Radio

The global food crisis and its many causes was the subject of a special session of the UN Economic and Social Council on Tuesday.

Speakers weighed the various causes and offered possible ways to fight hunger and the increase in prices of basic commodities such as rice and wheat. UN Deputy Secretary-General, Asha Rose Migiro, said the international community needed to deal with the root causes of the problem to avoid facing the same crisis next year, or the year after, with greater intensity. The various causes - high oil prices, speculation, drought, bad weather and the trend toward bio-fuels - might be the subject of debate. But what is beyond debate, she said, is that much of the problem is man-made.

"It is, at its root, a product of neglect and our own ineffectuality. We need to rethink the failed policies of the past. We need new strategies for development that work. Among these: technical and financial assistance so that small farmers can afford the agricultural inputs they need: fertilizer, for example, and high-yield seeds tailored to local growing conditions."

The Task Force on the Global Food Crisis, set up by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,is working on both immediate and long-term action in ensuring emergency needs are met, strengthening the resilience of local communities, helping small-scale farmers with seeds and fertilizer and easing trade and export restrictions that distort markets and impede the free flow of agricultural commodities.

Diane Bailey, United Nations Radio.

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