The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) has been reducing or even shutting down some of its operations due to a lack of funds from donor countries, according to a recent Financial Times article.

Recent increases in food prices for key commodity crops have exacerbated the increased need for aid and the reduced donor funding as a result of the economic crisis.

The WFP’s Director of Public Policy said:

They [the donors] have primarily urged us to consider the ways in which we will address hunger if faced with fewer funds.  We are in continual discussions with donors about how best to reach assessed needs.

With food prices estimated to continue increasing, the need for a new global agricultural model is clear.  Enabling smallholder farmers to gain access to resources and markets are key principles underpinning such a model.