Global food crisis
Global food prices put children's lives at risk
Across the globe, food prices have soared in recent months.
"Food prices have spiked for a number of reasons, all of them out of control of poor people" says Michael O'Donnell, Head of Hunger at Save the Children.
"Among the reasons are poor harvests in the last two years in countries like Australia and Canada, higher oil prices and increasing speculation by investors in the commodities markets.
"However, the use of food to make biofuels, along with wealthier people consuming more meat and dairy products in places like China and India, is also driving up demand for food."
While harvests in the northern hemisphere will soon be under way and might help prices drop back down, parts of Africa are just coming to their lean season. With monsoon season about to hit south Asia too, there are many hungry children who just can't wait - so we're scaling up our work.
The impact on poorer families
Rather than profiting from rising prices, many farmers are struggling too. The majority of rural households in the Sahel, for instance, are unable to cover their cereal needs through their own crop production. So, even those families who have their own crops have to buy expensive food from local markets to survive.
Poor families in developing countries typically spend a large proportion of their income on food. In parts of Burkina Faso, for instance, poor rural households spend over two-thirds on food.
So if prices rise they have to cut back either on food or other essentials like paying for education or healthcare.
The crisis in the Sahel is unlikely to come to an end with the next harvest. The rainy season has become unpredictable, which can mean floods or drought to cope with. Even with a good harvest, the poorest families remain vulnerable because, over and over again, they're facing the next food shortage or natural disaster before they can recover from the last.
Without long-term support, children will be in a dangerous situation.
What Save the Children is doing
We're already gearing up to respond to critical situations in at-risk areas of Niger and Burkina Faso.
We've been working in Niger since 2005. Our teams there are simultaneously tackling emergency and long term needs with programmes to treat malnutrition and prevent its recurrence, and support to help families strengthen their resilience to shocks like drought or sharp food price rises.
In Burkina Faso, we've started a feeding programme for children.
In Ethiopia the global food crisis has left 75,000 children severely malnourished. Our healthcare and nutrition work in Ethiopia is critical. We're also providing long-term help within communities, providing training and supplies to support people's livelihoods.
What you can do
We urgently need to find more resources so we can provide life-saving nutritional support for children. Poor households need our vital health services and support to protect their livelihoods, and they need it now.
Support our work by making a donation to Save the Children's Ethiopia Food Crisis Emergency Appeal online or by calling our emergency appeal line on 0800 8148 148.
