Put food first, Zoellick tells the G-20

World Bank President Robert Zoellick wants the G-20 to tackle volatile food prices: When prices of staples soar, the poor bear the brunt. Without global action, people in poor countries will be deprived of adequate and nutritious food, with tragic consequences for individuals and for the future prosperity of their countries. The G20 should agree ...

By , a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick wants the G-20 to tackle volatile food prices:

World Bank President Robert Zoellick wants the G-20 to tackle volatile food prices:

When prices of staples soar, the poor bear the brunt. Without global action, people in poor countries will be deprived of adequate and nutritious food, with tragic consequences for individuals and for the future prosperity of their countries. The G20 should agree to put food first — because food is the essence of life, and because practical action by the G20 could help make a real difference to hundreds of millions of people.

Zoellick offers a list of specific policy prescriptions, including improved weather forecasting, pre-positioned humanitarian reserves, and more transparency on food prices.

David Bosco is a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. He is the author of The Poseidon Project: The Struggle to Govern the World’s Oceans. Twitter: @multilateralist

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