Rising prices have a way of shining a bright light on any sector, no matter how overlooked previously. The rapid run-up in food prices is no exception. Food may be an essential good, but when food prices spent decades moving downward, the food sector held little interest for policymakers and investors. Now, with the doubling and tripling of the prices of some food grains in the past two years, the world has snapped to attention. Faced with rising food insecurity, social unrest, and accelerated inflation driven to a large extent by food prices, developing and developed countries and international governmental and nongovernmental organizations have begun responding to the rapid rise in food prices with a new sense of urgency.
Download “Responding to the World Food Crisis: Getting on the Right Track” (PDF – 197Kb)