"The 2011 Global Hunger Index, published jointly by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Concern Worldwide, and Welthungerhilfe, shows that although the world has made some progress in reducing hunger, the proportion of hungry people remains too high. Of course, the absolute number of hungry people remains unacceptably high as well. This is the sixth year that IFPRI has calculated the Global Hunger Index and analyzed this multidimensional measure of global hunger. It is important to note that the GHI scores present country averages: even in countries classified as having “moderate” or “serious” hunger, there can be areas where the situation is “alarming” or “extremely alarming.” Additionally, gains in hunger eradication can be eroded or even washed away by severe shocks, as evidenced by the 2011 food crisis in the Horn of Africa, when underlying vulnerabilities persist and are not adequately addressed. This series of reports records the state of hunger worldwide and country by country, drawing attention to the countries and regions where action is most needed. In this way, the reports support both national and international policy efforts and advocacy work.
This report offers a picture of the past, not the present. The calculation of the GHI is limited by the data collection of governments and international agencies, and up-to-the-minute data on global hunger are simply not available. We hope that governments and international agencies will work together to gather more timely and complete data on hunger worldwide. The report incorporates the most recent data available and thus does not reflect the impact of the latest events. It does, however, identify the countries and regions where hunger is severe and persistent. Twenty-six countries have levels of hunger that are alarming or extremely alarming. Among the world’s regions, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa continue to suffer from the highest levels of hunger. These results represent extreme suffering for millions of poor people.
The 2011 GHI report focuses particular attention on the issue of food price spikes and volatility, which have played a large role in the global food crises of 2007–08 and 2010–11. Many poor people already spend large shares of their incomes on food, and surges in food prices leave them unable to pay for the food, healthcare, housing, education, and other goods and services they need. In this report, IFPRI describes the factors that have contributed to the increasing and more volatile food prices of recent years and their effects on poor people in developing countries. Taming food price spikes and volatility will require that we understand the causes and address them appropriately. Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe provide on-the-ground perspectives on the negative impacts of food price increases on poor people in Kenya and Tajikistan and describe the work of their organizations in helping to alleviate these impacts. Based on these research findings and experiences in the field, IFPRI, Concern Worldwide, and Welthungerhilfe propose actions to help prevent and mitigate the effects of high and volatile food prices and increase the resilience of households, communities, countries, and regions."
source: IFPRI.ORG