In response to the Global Food looming Crisis , leading food companies, including Unilever, Nestlé and PepsiCo, along with agricultural organizations, academics, and civil society groups, have called on world leaders to keep the supply of food flowing across the world and to scale support to the most vulnerable.
They urge governments, businesses, civil society and international agencies to take “urgent coordinated action to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic turning into a global food and humanitarian crisis.”
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The escalating coronavirus pandemic coupled with a notable rise in protectionism threatens to cause a global food shortage, warns a UN report.
Signatories warn that unless the recommended action is taken, the number of people suffering chronic hunger, which already stands at 800 million, could double in the coming months.
Most of the countries have already commenced projected programs to face the challenges. The German government has launched an online portal, called The Land Helps, to link farmers with volunteers willing to lend the nation a helping hand.
Similarly, in the UK, which is in need of 80,000 seasonal workers, Britain’s National Farmers’ Union has issued its own patriotic call to arms.
The Director-General of the FAO, Qu Dongyu, has also urged leaders of G20 countries to take measures to ensure the healthy working of global food supply, with particular regards to the world’s poor and most vulnerable.
“The poor and the vulnerable will be the hardest hit, and governments should strengthen social safety mechanisms to maintain their access to food,” he said.
“We have to ensure that food value chains are not disrupted and continue to function well and promote the production and availability of diversified, safe and nutritious food for all.”
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