Averting Tomorrow's Global Food Crisis

Global food prices will more than double within 20 years, as a new age of crisis forces the collapse of our global food system. These price rises will push millions into poverty in a world where, already, one in seven goes hungry.

As the world’s largest economy, the world’s biggest aid donor, and an aspiring leader in the fight against climate change, the European Union has an important role to play in delivering food justice in a resource-constrained world.

This Oxfam Briefing Note sets out the steps the EU must take to meet this unprecedented challenge. It was first published in 2011 at the outset of GROW, Oxfam’s global food justice campaign, which aims to transform the way we grow, share, and live together so that all of us have enough to eat, always.

Key recommendations

Oxfam calls on the EU to make global food security a priority across the board. To prove the world it means business Oxfam believes it should take the following steps without delay:

• Tackle speculation on agricultural commodities to put a stop to spiralling food prices;
• Put an end to the biofuels mandates and subsidies that fuel food price volatility and land grabs in developing countries;
• Invest in small scale food producers in developing countries;
• Lead in the fight against climate change and its impacts on global food production.