Topic: Global Food Crisis
Country: Portugal
Delegate Name: Ellen Patenaude
School: Traverse City West High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Portugal position papers GLIMUN 2008 committees
The Global Food Crisis is effecting everyone. Even countries not going through as much of a rough time with the need for food, are still be effected. “A silent tsunami which knows no borders sweeping the world.” stated the head of the UN World Wide Food Program (WFP) discussing the Global Food Crisis. Portugal is a country that sees the problem as being the need for help. Currently, 37 countries throughout every region of the world are losing their access to food.
High food prices have increased the amount of malnourished people from 44 million to a total of 967 million in just 2008. In the past three years the average price of food has doubled around the world. Though in the past few months they have spiraled out of control. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, "The World Bank has estimated that the doubling of food prices over the last three years could push 100 million people in low income countries deeper into poverty." . The problem came from low food stocks, bad weather in key food producing countries, and the increase in demand from all.
Portugal and many of its allies, like Britain, joined a global summit on soaring world food prices. It promotes that we should use urgent and concrete actions to address the rising price of foods. The average price of food has risen 56%. Wheat has risen by 92%. Rice has tripled in the last 18 months and is the grand food for about 3 billion worldwide. These two sources are two main foods of the entire world. Portugal's problem is that 10% of their workforce is employed in agriculture. In fact, Portugal's leading crop was wheat in 1990. Since then, there hasn't been nearly as much producing of it. Exports and imports are also low.
One major event Portugal had that helped the Global Food Crisis was called the Walk Through the World March. We organized a petition and had stands with volunteers that collected signatures for the march that was on June 1st. The group that came up with this is called GCAP. They believe that rich governments and international institutions should make the difference and provide resources necessary to completely demolish poverty. But the land must get back to how it used to be for countries to increase their food products again. Portugal needs change in it's agriculture to make a difference in the Global Food Crisis.
