Oxfam, one of the loudest voices in world famine relief, has called for limits on food commodities speculation and the dismantling of support for grain-based biofuels in an alarming report on world hunger.
The report claims the global food system is "broken".
Only radical action by the Group of 20 developed and emerging economies can prevent a doubling of basic food prices and mass starvation within the next two decades, Oxfam says.
The charity's warnings are just the latest in a long line of dire predictions that basic nourishment is becoming so expensive it is beyond the reach of many of the world's poor.
In April, the World Bank pointed out that global food prices were 36 per cent higher than they were a year ago, pushing 44 million more people below the extreme poverty line of having to live on US$1.25 (Dh4.60) a day or less - a total the bank now estimates at 1.2 billion.
And a year ago, the World Development Group, a charity aiming to reduce poverty, urged governments to introduce greater regulation of the food market to stabilise prices, blaming bankers for pouring money into commodities such as wheat and maize after abandoning the failed mortgage market during the global financial crisis.
Oxfam's latest report takes a different approach, blaming food price rises on a combination of factors including climate change, oil price rises, the depletion of natural resources and the scramble for land and water.
It also singles out for criticism the US and the EU for promoting biofuels as part of a policy that results in "15 per cent of the world's maize being used to make fuel, even at times of severe food crisis".
The report, Growing a Better Future, adds: "The amount of grain required to fill the petrol tank of a 4x4 vehicle with biofuel is sufficient to feed one person for a year. Meanwhile, EU targets in practice mean that 10 per cent of transport fuel will be biofuels by 2020."
Oxfam's emphasis on the importance of small farmers in tackling hunger was challenged yesterday by Nicola Horlick, a leading British investment fund manager who has invested in farmland in Brazil. "You cannot rely on a whole lot of smallholders to feed the world - it's not going to work," she told the BBC.
"It is really important in my view that we have more investment going into farmland. There are huge tracts of farmland that aren't being farmed."
Oxfam says now is the time "the major powers, the old and the new, must co-operate, not compete, to share resources, build resilience and tackle climate change".
The first opportunity they will have to do that is at the UN climate summit in Durban, South Africa, in December, when Oxfam says world leaders should launch a global climate fund, "so that people can protect themselves from the impacts of climate change and are better equipped to grow the food they need".
With memories still fresh of the disarray at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 18 months ago, the sceptics have reason to doubt any such initiative will be forthcoming.
dsapsted@thenational.ae
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000
Available: Now
More about Middle East geopolitics
SPECS
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh317,671
On sale: now
MATCH INFO
FA Cup final
Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The biog
Job: Fitness entrepreneur, body-builder and trainer
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite quote: We must become the change we want to see, by Mahatma Gandhi.
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%208
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8
Power: 503hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 685Nm at 2,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Price: from Dh850,000
On sale: now
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Freezer tips
- Always make sure food is completely cool before freezing.
- If you’re cooking in large batches, divide into either family-sized or individual portions to freeze.
- Ensure the food is well wrapped in foil or cling film. Even better, store in fully sealable, labelled containers or zip-lock freezer bags.
- The easiest and safest way to defrost items such as the stews and sauces mentioned is to do so in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
Bawaal%20
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PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
ACL Elite (West) - fixtures
Monday, Sept 30
Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)
Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Third Test
Result: India won by 203 runs
Series: England lead five-match series 2-1
More coverage from the Future Forum
Zayed Sustainability Prize
More on Quran memorisation:
More on animal trafficking
Scoreline
Germany 2
Werner 9', Sane 19'
Netherlands 2
Promes 85', Van Dijk 90'
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Barbie
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