G8 countries need to do more to tackle the root causes of the global food crisis that rich countries have themselves created, said Progressio at the close of the G8 summit.
Although Progressio welcomed the G8's proposal for a Global Partnership on Agriculture and Food to help coordinate the international community's response to the food crisis, it criticised the leaders of the world's eight most powerful countries for failing to go far enough.
'It is a tragedy for poor people that the G8 members have failed to turn the spotlight on their own actions and critically assess the major role they have played in creating the current global climate and food price crises through demanding and consuming ever increasing amounts of carbon and food', said Progressio's Advocacy Manager Joanne Green.
'Inequitable access to food - and not insufficient food production - is the main reason why people go hungry ', said Green, pointing to the fact that the world produces enough food to feed the population. In 2007, 2.3 billion tonnes of grain were produced worldwide - 4% more than in 2006.
Instead, Progressio and some of its partners in the developing world believe the current food system is biased towards satisfying the demands of consumers and producers in the industrialised world.
In Ecuador and Peru, for example, Progressio works with poor farmers who strive to grow native crops in a sustainable way but struggle to get backing from their governments who see small-scale crops as unprofitable.
As one farmer, Marcial Lopez recently told Progressio: 'small producers have been confused by the lure of greater wealth to adopt methods and solutions that are really working in the interests of corporations rather than society'.
Progressio also criticised the G8 'model' for failing to include the voices of poor and marginalised populations to help tackle some of the world's most pressing problems.
'The G8 is not the right forum to make decisions on behalf of the world as the grouping represents only the richest and most powerful countries, however, they can and should provide leadership for the industrialised world', said Green. 'As one of our partners in Peru, Rosa Alayza, Director of the Instituto Bartolomé de las Casas, recently told us: "the G8 group can use their power to control what happens in the world markets if they so wish and that is where the challenge lies."'
Joanne Green added: 'The G8 have the power to effect significant change but they don't appear to want the responsibility that comes with it. They should have agreed bold steps for addressing the global inequalities they have created and so demonstrate their solidarity with poor and marginalised communities who are hit hardest by rising food prices.'
