Market forces have not been able to meet global food needs, despite large surpluses in some countries and large deficits in others. In food deficit countries, the needs and potential of poor subsistence farmers, many of whom are women, are often overlooked or ignored. Within families, women and girl children often do not have equal access with men and boys to nourishing food. Without increasing access to food supplies for the most vulnerable, there is little prospect for long-term global food security. Third, the main cause of malnutrition is poverty.
Absolute poverty means poor diets and malnourishment.
Although the percentage of hungry people has dropped over the past 20 years, their numbers have increased because of population growth. Today, an estimated two billion people suffer from micro-nutrient deficiencies in their diets and 840 million of them are chronically malnourished. In order to accommodate the eight billion people expected by 2025, the world will have to double food production over current levels. There have been some promising technical developments. The International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines announced that it has developed a super rice capable of boosting yields by 25 per cent, amounting to an extra 100 million metric tons a year.