Around 100 million more people face food shortages this year compared to last year as a result of the recent increase in world food prices. The price increase is due to many factors, including the high price of oil and fuel, the conversion of food grains into biofuels, market speculation on agricultural commodities, droughts and floods in some countries, and increasing consumption.

The crisis is especially hard on the poor—who already spend three quarters of their income on food—and on the sick and vulnerable. The impact is especially devastating to women and children. This has led to growing international concern that progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals will be jeopardized.

Responding to the food crisis requires the immediate delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in urgent need of food relief to protect their dignity and save their lives. This is a global food crisis that requires global cooperation. To address food security in the medium and long term, solutions must take into account trade and aid policies, rising demand for food, and the impact of climate change. And since every country has different circumstances, solutions should be tailored to meet local needs.

Globally, the demand for food is projected to double by 2030 and an estimated 20 per cent of this increase is attributed to population growth. Today, the fastest population growth is occurring in the world’s poorest nations, many of which already face serious difficulty in meeting current food needs. There is no doubt that agricultural production must increase to meet growing demand.

Focus must also be placed on social protection. With the benefits of globalization unevenly distributed and inequality rising in many countries, policies must be tailored to protect the poor and marginalized. Not only are they suffering the most from the current crisis, they also will bear the brunt of future food shortages unless corrective measures are taken.

Investments in women’s empowerment are essential. Policies and programmes that secure women’s rights and increase access to productive assets, education and health are vital. Particularly important to the improvement of women’s well-being is reproductive health, including family planning. UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, supports programmes to empower women and ensure universal access to reproductive health and HIV prevention. This is especially important in sub-Saharan Africa, where the AIDS epidemic is undermining food production.

UNFPA also supports countries in building capacity for population data collection and analysis. When governments have up-to-date knowledge of their population dynamics and demographic trends, they can plan accordingly to strengthen social protection and food security. Population analysis is an important component in supporting food distribution, anticipating food demand in the medium and longer term, and mapping the food needs of different population groups, particularly the most vulnerable. UNFPA supports research and analysis that help policymakers better understand the relationship between rural and urban development and the significance of changing population distribution patterns to poverty reduction and food security, particularly in the context of climate change.