United Nations Radio

With the number of hungry expected to top more than a billion people this year, the World Food Programme is urging leaders at this year's G8 summit in Italy to support both urgent hunger needs, and longer term investment in agriculture. The World Food Programme's Greg Barrow told Donn Bobb that with global food aid supplies at their lowest in 34 years, there is no question that meeting the immediate needs of the hungry and supporting agriculture are equally critical.

Greg Barrow

Well, WFP's budget in 2009 is set at US$6.4 billion - that's to address the hunger needs of the 105 million people in 74 different countries. And as an agency that depends entirely on funds that are donated voluntarily, we are concerned this year that more than halfway thru the year we have less than a quarter of the funds that we need to address those urgent hunger needs amongst all of those people spread across the world.

AND WHAT'S THE LIKELY IMPACT OF NOT HAVING ENOUGH FUNDS?

Well, we've been through this before, we went through this in 2008 when the impact of high food prices was making itself felt in more increased numbers of hungry people and the impact of not having the funds is that we have to look at programmes, perhaps scale back programmes, or even reduce the level of rations that we're giving to people in some programmes so that we can stretch the food that we have to stretch the resources that we have further and ensure that we're not forced into a position where we have to cut off our programmes entirely. Now we always hope that we don't reach that particular position and we appeal to the governments and the private sector and the members of the public who've supported us so generously over the years but there does ultimately come a point if the funds aren't forthcoming that these very, very hard choices have to be made.

MR BARROW, I KNOW YOU CANNOT SPEAK FOR THE G8 SUMMIT AS SUCH BUT THE FACT THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE DISCUSSING GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY, WHAT DOES THAT SAY?

Well, I think we welcome that. It's incredible also to us that this is on the agenda of a summit where the world's most powerful leaders, richest and most influential nations are gathered. So it's a great source of joy to us that they've actually put food security on the G8s agenda. We hope, as I said before, that when they issue their final communiqué, they strike the balance right, they maintain a commitment to funding agencies like the World Food Programme dealing to immediate emergency, urgent hunger needs while at the same time providing essential needed funding for the long term agricultural development that some years down the line will ensure that the harvests are such a size and that they can provide accessible nutritious and affordable food to as many people as needed.

PRES: Greg Barrow is the Spokesman for the World Food Programme.

Duration: 2'20"