More than 180 countries last week agreed to address the social impacts of high food prices and provide assistance for developing countries. Increasing food system resilience in the face of climate change and factoring biofuel impacts on food security also were addressed at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Conference on Food Security, held June 3-5 in Rome.
Those at the summit “decided to act,” calling for participation in initiatives on soaring food prices; help to allow farmers—particularly small-scale producers—to increase production; and local, regional, and international market integration, according to a FAO press release. Conference attendees also recommended moderating unusual fluctuations in the price of grain; addressing how climate change will affect current food systems and vice versa; and conducting in-depth studies of biofuel impacts on food security.
Download a full copy of the declaration resulting from the conference at the FAO website.
Jolie Breeden is the lead editor and science communicator for Natural Hazards Center publications. She writes and edits for Research Counts; the Quick Response, Mitigation Matters, Public Health, and Weather Ready Research Award report series; as well as for special projects and publications. Breeden graduated summa cum laude from the University of Colorado Boulder with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.