The recent sharp increase in food prices should have benefited millions of poor people who make their living from agriculture. However, decades of misguided policies by developing country governments on agriculture, trade, and domestic markets - often promoted by international financial institutions and supported by donor countries - have prevented poor farmers and rural workers from reaping the benefits of higher commodity prices. As a result, the crisis is hurting poor producers and consumers alike, threatening to reverse recent progress on poverty reduction in many countries. To help farmers get out of poverty while protecting poor consumers, developing country governments, with the support of donors, should invest now into smallholder agriculture and social protection.
Download the report here: Double-edged prices
Tags: foodprices, globalfoodcrisis
“On 16 October 2008, the seventh Brussels Development Briefing, part of a series of discussion meetings on ACP-EU development issues, discussed the issue: ‘Rising food prices: an opportunity for change?’
View the programme, presentations and video material, speaker information, video interviews, and selected documents available online at http://brusselsbriefings.net/ “
October 22nd, 2008 at 5:19 pmTo support smallholder protection is to perpetuate poverty. The corn monoculture trap here in Guatemala, which depletes soils and leads to malnutrition should be replaced with diversified vegetable and other crop production for export. This is happening in former smallholder areas such as Chimaltenango and just yesterday on the other side of the country in Panzos I watched a truck unload five tons of okra for the US market. In the areas where this is happening with snow peas, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. former smallholders are now driving pickup trucks and living in adequate housing. More importantly if you pass through at seven AM you can see their kids in school uniforms waiting to take the bus to the private schools which are the only practical alternative to the ruined public education system. Would welcome discussion at gmg977@yahoo.com.
October 24th, 2008 at 2:36 pm[...] Double Edged Prices Oxfam report showing that the increases in food prices have pushed the world’s poorest further into destitution while quadrupling profits for some international businesses. [...]
December 2nd, 2008 at 11:17 am