Madam, – Your Editorial on spiralling food prices (February 17th) is both timely and important in highlighting a potentially major threat to international stability. It is just three years since high food prices triggered riots in more than 30 countries. If prices continue to rise over coming months, political leaders in many countries will again face the threat of food riots.
The political response to this dangerous situation must include short- and long-term policy change. In the short term, scaling up social protection schemes for the most vulnerable is probably the best response. Few countries are suffering from an absolute shortage of food: poor people are suffering from a shortage of purchasing power to access the food.
Longer term, food deficit countries must invest more in their agricultural and rural sectors in order to increase food production. To do this they need support from developed countries through aid programmes. The meeting of G8 and G20 leaders must deliver on the promises made at the 2009 G8 l’Aquila Summit to provide $20 billion for food security programmes.
Ireland has an important role to play in advocating for policies to improve food security at all levels, from household to international. Ireland has assumed a leadership role in recent years, through the government and NGOs, in this advocacy. This leadership role, which reflects well and brings political benefit at a time when our national reputation has suffered in many other areas, is one which the incoming government should commit to further develop. – Yours, etc,