Over 1 bn may go hungry in 2009 due to fin crisis: FAO

The number of hungry people in the world may cross 1 billion in 2009 due to the shocks of the global economic crisis combined with high food prices in a few countries, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said.

"The number of hungry people is expected to grow overall by about 11 per cent this year," the UN agency projected drawing on analysis by the US Department of Agriculture.

The most recent increase in hunger is not the consequence of poor global harvests but is caused by the world economic crisis, which has resulted in lower incomes and increased unemployment. This has reduced the poor's access to food, it said.

"The silent hunger crisis — affecting one-sixth of all of humanity — poses a serious risk for world peace and security. We urgently need to forge a broad consensus on the total and rapid eradication of hunger in the world and to take the necessary actions," said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf on its website.

"Poor countries must be given the development, economic and policy tools required to boost their agricultural production and productivity. Investment in agriculture must be increased because for the majority of poor countries a healthy agricultural sector is essential to overcome poverty...," he stressed.