'Virtuous circle' of politics, innovation needed to beat hunger - expert

To combat the daily reality of hunger, the world must create a “virtuous circle” where rural farmers produce a better yield as an engine not only to boost rural economic growth, but to improve economic growth worldwide, said Sir Gordon Conway during a webcasted discussion with UN food agencies in Rome. “Agriculture and food security are important not just to the rural economy but to the world economy as a whole,” said the international development expert at Imperial College London during the two-day discussion with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Conway’s recent book, “One Billion Hungry: Can we feed the world?” looks at expected increases in hunger in coming decades and addresses the inter-related issues – climate change, food price spikes and a growing population – the world must overcome to maintain the global food supply and prevent a 2050 food crisis as the world’s population grows from 7 billion to an expected 9 billion.

Syria crisis: European countries expected to start arming rebels

Muhannad Hadi, the World Food Programme's regional emergency co-ordinator for Syria and neighbouring countries, said the British donation of armoured cars had already saved the lives of WFP staff delivering food aid on both sides of the lines. (..) The WFP currently supplies food to 1.5 million people in Syria in all 14 of the country's governorates, and in many parts of the country there are pockets with unknown populations which are beyond the agency's reach because of fighting.

South Sudan: WFP Works for a Government-Led School Meals Programme

WFP school meals are helping hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese students stay in school and build a brighter future, and WFP is working to help the young country's Ministry of Education build and sustain a national school meals system.

Climate change is worsening world hunger

Imagine a world where too much rain, or too little, means the difference between a life fulfilled and a life blighted by hunger and poor nutrition. (..) This is the reality for millions of vulnerable communities. Today, almost one billion people suffer from hunger, most of them women and children. Globally, almost one in three children grows up lacking the nutrients they need to fend off disease and to develop to their full potential. And now, climate change is exacerbating the hardships they face daily. (..) In April, the Government of Ireland and the Mary Robinson Foundation Climate Justice are hosting an international conference to stimulate debate on these linked challenges, and to inspire innovative thinking and solutions.The conference - 'Hunger, Nutrition, Climate Justice 2013' - is being organised in partnership with the World Food Programme and the CGIAR Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).