What's the Buzz? What's a Happenin'?: Reflections on the World Food Summit-Five Years Later

The World Food Summit of 1996 was convened to renew the global commitment to the fight against hunger in the world and concluded with a pledge of 186 governments to reduce the number of undernourished by half by the year 2015 from about 800 to about 400 million people. There was a very lengthy plan of action, but it was all targeted at this one goal. Now comes the World Food Summit: Five Years Later, which will focus attention on the lack of progress toward that goal thus far. By FAO estimates, a reduction in the number of undernourished close to 20 million a year is necessary to meet the target, while the current rate of reduction is less than 8 million annually. If current trends continue, the necessary reduction figure of 20 million a year will increase rapidly as the remaining years decline. This paper discusses the research issues have been raised as a consequence of this all pervasive focus in FAO on reducing the number of undernourished people. First, the projections which underlie the dismal outlook on reaching the WFS goal are reviewed. Then a few analytical issues relative to hunger, poverty, and the role of agriculture and rural development in alleviating hunger and poverty are discussed.