More hungry people

THE economic crisis is having a big impact on those already struggling to survive. The number of chronically hungry people in the world will rise from 913m in 2008 to 1.02 billion this year, a sixth of the global population, says the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation in its annual report on food insecurity. Food prices that are 17% higher than they were two years ago, and big falls in remittances and investment are contributing to growing hunger. The economic slump has meant a growing share of the world's population is going hungry, after a steady decline since 1970. And the FAO notes that global food output will have to increase by 70% to feed a population projected at 9.1 billion in 2050.

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