中文 The 5-Minute Answer
Is there a food Crisis? Yes.
Here’s the low-down in 5 minutes or less.
In 2004, the Asian tsunami killed 225,000 people in 11 countries. The world was inundated with images of death and destruction for months.

Today, we are faced with a “silent tsunami”. The World Bank estimates that the food crisis could push 100 million people into abject poverty. Unlike the tsunami, the crisis isn’t making headlines.

However, tensions are building. Food shortages have spawned riots in Mexico, Egypt, Indonesia, Yemen, the Philippines, Cambodia, Morocco, Senegal, Uzbekistan, Guinea, Mauritania, Cameroon, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Peru, Bolivia and Haiti.

The food crisis is a fact, not fiction. Here is a guide to help you navigate through one of today’s deadliest and most complex emergencies.
What is the problem?
Food prices have skyrocketed in an alarmingly short period of time.
• Wheat prices have risen by more than 100% last year, corn prices have risen by 66%. The cost of rice has more than doubled since the end of 2007.
• To deliver the same amount of food that it did in 2007, the World Food Programme - a key World Vision partner in food distribution - will need to spend an additional US$700 million this year.
Who is affected?
The short answer: the poor.
• 70% of developing countries are net food importers (ie. They buy food from others), and the average food bill has increased by 40% (2008).
• The poor in developing countries are spending 60-80% of their income on food. The rich in developed countries only spend 10-20%.

When food prices rise, the poor feel the pinch more:
• Those living on US$1 to US$2 per day have to cut back on nutritious foods such as vegetables to afford basics such as rice >> 1.5 billion people worldwide
• Those living on US$1per day are forced to cut out one or two of their daily meals >> 1 billion people worldwide
• Those living on US$0.50 per day are struggling to eat at all, often eating only a few times a week >> 40 countries at risk of serious hunger

The poor were already hungry to begin with. The food crisis will push them over the edge. Among the most vulnerable are children, pregnant women, nursing mothers and their babies.
Why is this happening?
This crisis is much more than a local famine, it is a global phenomena. The causes are complex and wide ranging, and include:
• Rise in grain prices: speculators have been investing in grains, driving the price of wheat, soybeans, corn and rice to all-time highs.
• Low grain reserves: due to poor harvests over the last several years, government and private wheat reserves are extremely low.
• Rising price of oil: costs for agricultural production, petroleum-based fertilizers and crop transportation have risen steeply.
• Demand for biofuel: Growing crops for fuel is now more profitable than growing food for people.
What is World Vision doing?
While there are no easy fixes to this crisis, World Vision is responding with a two-pronged approach that addresses both short and long-term needs.
• Rushing emergency food aid to malnourished children and communities
• Helping communities build a sustainable food supply through long term community development
What can I do?
You can help provide food for hungry children and families give them a shot at a brighter future:
• Join The Famine - raise funds to provide food for the hungry in countries like North Korea, Laos, Myanmar and China
• Sponsor A Child - your contributions will help World Vision develop your sponsored child’s community as a whole. You can help free them from the crippling cycle of poverty, which is exacerbated by the food crisis.
Now that you know, the choice is yours.

"The magnitude of the problem can seem overwhelming sometimes but we need to remember that it is solved one person at a time; and we can all be that one person for someone else." Dave Toycen, World Vision Canada President