Impact

    When prices are high, the poor eat less or switch to lower quality foods, which can increase malnutrition.

  • Between 130m and 155m people fell into poverty in the last 2 years due to high prices.
  • 1.1bn people were living on less than $1 a day and 923m were undernourished, even before the crises hit.

Price Volatility

  • Although international prices have fallen, local prices in many countries have not.
  • Although lower than at their peak in 2008, major food grain prices are still above average.
  • Maize is 50% more expensive than its average price between 2003 and 2006, while rice prices are 100% higher.

Africa

21 of 36 countries in a food security crisis are in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to FAO. The region imports 45% of its wheat and 84% of its rice.

  • West Africa, the Horn of Africa, and fragile states are especially vulnerable
  • Weather-related shocks and civil strife worsen the impact in some countries

Asia

Most countries in South Asia are net food importers and have suffered severe trade shocks.

  • A 2 kg bag of rice now costs half the daily income of a poor family in Bangladesh

In Indonesia, a 10% rise in rice prices means 2 million more people will be plunged into poverty, according to a recent assessment.