The end of 2009 will see the historic level of one billion malnourished persons, with the economic crisis playing its part, UN for Food and Agriculture (FAO) announced in Rome on Friday, AFP informs.
"One sixth of the planet's population will suffer from malnourishment, a level without precedent" a FAO food security preliminary report shows. According to the report, 1.02 billion people will suffer for hunger by the end of the current year.
Salary decrease and the food price increase = growing hunger
According to FAO, the increase in world hunger is not due to an ill crop, but to the world economic crisis, which led to the drop in salaries, resulting in a lesser food access by the poor nations. The number of hunger victims is estimated to increase by 11% against last year. FAO's forecast is based on a survey belonging to the Economic Research Services from the American Agricultural Department.
Developing countries, malnutrition centres
The malnourished people live, almost all of them, in developing countries, FAO report informs: 642 million people in the Asia - Pacific region, 265 millions in sub-Sahara Africa, 53 millions in Latin America and Caribbean regions, 42 millions in the Middle East and North Africa and only 15 millions in developed countries.
FAO report comes 3 weeks before the G8 summit, scheduled for July 8-10 in Aquila. One of the summit's main issues is food insecurity, especially in Africa. The full UN report - World Food Insecurity - 2009 - will be available in October. The end of 2009 will see the historic level of one billion malnourished persons, with the economic crisis playing its part, UN for Food and Agriculture (FAO) announced in Rome on Friday, AFP informs.
"One sixth of the planet's population will suffer from malnourishment, a level without precedent" a FAO food
