term food security lies in boosting investment in agriculture, particularly in low-income food-deficit countries, according to FAO director general Jacques Diouf in Abu Dhabi recently. The rapid increase in hunger and malnourishment since the food crisis of 2008 revealed the inadequacy of the present global food system and the urgent need for structural changes, Diouf said, addressing the GCC Ministerial Forum on Agricultural Investment in Abu Dhabi, attended by representatives. “The food price and economic crises have had a severe impact on millions of people in all parts of the world,” he said. In recent months the international prices of most agricultural commodities have increased, many of them sharply. The global food import bill could pass the $1 trillion mark in 2010, a level not seen since food prices peaked at record levels in 2008. “These trends can have severe implications for countries like the Gulf countries, which depend on commercial imports for a large share of their food consumption needs,” Diouf said. The UN said nearly 1 billion people around the world are undernourished. Nearly 240 million of those people are in Africa. About 70 percent of Congo's population – or 42 million people – are undernourished. In Ethiopia, it's about 41 percent – 31.6 million people, FAO said. In the Near East and North Africa region, malnourished people is estimated at 37 million.
