G7 under pressure to fight famine as heatwave, geopolitical crises threaten food security
- Observers call for more concrete action from rich nations to ensure food security, say G7’s latest initiative is ‘half-baked’ and lacks details
The Group of 7 (G7) nations are under pressure to follow through with a pledge to battle the growing problem of chronic hunger worldwide as a searing heatwave sweeping parts of the globe amid geopolitical tensions raises supply risks.
Deadly heatwaves across parts of Asia since early summer have resulted in temperatures as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), triggering heat-related fatalities and posing risks that extreme weather could damage crop output, observers also say.
“It can be expected that food prices globally will remain high. Food inflation has hit several low-income countries, much harder than the world average,” Hanna Saarinen, Oxfam International’s Food Policy Lead, told This Week in Asia.
While food inflation has been particularly high in parts of Africa such as Zimbabwe and Nigeria, it has also hit Asian nations including Laos, Bangladesh and Indonesia, according to Saarinen.
G7 leaders at a meeting in Italy earlier this month launched the Apulia Food Systems Initiative (AFSI) – named after the region which hosted the summit – aimed to “overcome structural barriers” to improve food security and nutrition.
They also promised to lower borrowing costs for poorer nations.
