---

The number of hungry and malnourished Africans is rising new figures show today. There are 269 million people malnourished in Africa out of a total population of 1 billion people and 30% of Africa’s population suffers from hunger, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations stated. http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/41994/icode/

This is a higher figure than last year, the agency confirmed.

In the aftermath of the election when all parties are thinking about the size of departmental cuts, the Fairtrade Foundation urges whoever assumes power not to axe budgets that can mean life or death to hundreds of millions of people. And that means ensuring investment in smallholders and agriculture in general to improve food security is protected and increased.

The FAO notes that African agriculture is constrained by lack of water access and poor infrastructure despite being rich in arable land, water and labour.

The FAO confirmed only nine African governments have met the target of allocating 10% of national budgets to agriculture despite promising to do so seven years ago.

Furthermore, the FAO states the share of overseas aid from rich countries spent on agriculture has fallen from 19% in 1989 to about 5% today.

As sovereign wealth funds and giant agri-businesses target Africa buying up vast tracts of land to meet food security imperatives, the Fairtrade Foundation urges the international development community, institutional investors and multi-national companies to redouble efforts to empower smallholders to boost food production.

Time and again, it has been proven that relatively small, targeted investments to help smallholders modernise their businesses transforms rural economies and boosts crop production.

Failure to back the world’s 450 million smallholder farming households will mean Africa’s scandalous food security crisis remains unsolved. Failure to invest in smallholders will needlessly condemn hundreds of millions of people.

The Fairtrade Foundation welcomes the FAO’s call to support small producers and strengthen family farming and hopes the international community pays attention.

– ENDS –

 

 Notes to Editors

1.     The FAIRTRADE Mark is a certification mark and a registered trademark of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) of which the Fairtrade Foundation is the UK member. The Fairtrade Foundation is an independent certification body which licenses the use of the FAIRTRADE Mark on products which meet international Fairtrade standards. This independent consumer label is now recognised by 90% of UK consumers and appears on products as a guarantee that disadvantaged producers are getting a better deal. Today, more than 7.5 million people – farmers, workers and their families – across 60 developing countries benefit from the international Fairtrade system.

2.     Over 4,500 products have been licensed to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark including coffee, tea, herbal teas, chocolate, cocoa, sugar, bananas, grapes, pineapples, mangoes, avocados, apples, pears, plums, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, satsumas, clementines, mandarins, lychees, coconuts, dried fruit, juices, smoothies, biscuits, cakes & snacks, honey, jams & preserves, chutney & sauces, rice, quinoa, herbs &  spices, seeds, nuts & nut oil, wines, beers, rum, confectionary, muesli, cereal bars, yoghurt, ice-cream, flowers, sports balls, sugar body scrub and cotton products including clothing, homeware, cloth toys, cotton wool and olive oil.

3.     7 in 10 households purchase Fairtrade goods, including an extra 1.3 million more households in 2009, helping Fairtrade sales reach an estimated £800m in 2009, a 13% increase on the previous year. There are over 460 producer organisations selling to the UK and by the end of October 2008 872 certified producer groups were in the global Fairtrade system, representing more than 1.5 million farmers and

4.     The FAIRTRADE Mark came top as the most trusted certification label in the survey and the majority of people, (64%) link Fairtrade to fair pay for producers and workers.