It is well known that poverty is at the root of hunger and undernourishment. He pointed out that alleviating hunger was crucial for a number of countries in the African continent trapped in a situation of low and fragile economic growth. In 1996, Heads of State and Government attending the World Food Summit in Rome pledged to reduce the number of the world's hungry to half the present level by 2015. They will meet again in Rome in November this year to review progress in implementing the Plan of Action they adopted in 1996.
Many factors inhibit African countries from benefiting more fully from trade.
Among them, Dr. Diouf mentioned supply-side constraints in the countries themselves, and persistent high levels of support and protection provided to agriculture by many of the richer countries in the world. Many of the health problems that afflict people in Africa stem from, and are exacerbated by hunger and malnutrition. Poor health, in turn, impairs productivity and constrains social and economic development. To grasp the magnitude of the scope for promotion of agricultural growth in the region, we need to consider that fertiliser use in Africa is some 19 kg per ha per year, compared to 100 kg per ha in East Asia and 230 kg per ha in West Europe.