Leaders meeting this week at the G8 Summit in Italy need to find US$23bn by 2012 to stop hunger spiralling out of control, says international development charity ActionAid.

In a report, Let them eat promises it says that factors which have pushed the number of hungry above one billion are set to worsen, unless G8 leaders take action to increase aid to agriculture in the developing world and reverse global warming.

Food prices are still on the increase in many poor countries whilst rising unemployment and falling incomes - a result of the global recession - compound the growing hunger crisis.
 
The report says that hunger will only be solved by supporting smallholder farmers across the world so they can plant good quality seeds, water their crops and buy tools and livestock.

Meredith Alexander, Head of Trade and Corporates at ActionAid said:  “It’s not often that eight people must take responsibility for the fate of one billion. Unless the G8 commits to serious new money for food and farming, they will have to answer to the one billion people and rising that live with chronic hunger every day.

“ActionAid is asking for US$23 billion to solve the world’s hunger crisis at this year’s G8. Given that the world has already spent $18 trillion dollars propping up the global economy, we know they can afford it. We are asking for peanuts from elephants.”

According to ActionAid's calculations, France emerges as the champion of current spending on aid to combat hunger while summit host Italy - languishes at the bottom. The UK is doing well in second place followed by Germany, Japan, Canada and the USA.

•    France currently spends US$0.66billion but needs to spend US$1.99bn by 2012 if it is to pay its fair share of the solution to the hunger crisis
•    The UK spends US$0.60bn but must pay US$1.87 by 2012
•    Germany is spending US$0.81bn but needs to spend US$2.61bn
•    Japan is spending US$1.06bn but needs to spend US$3.69bn
•    Canada spend US$ 0.27bn but must spend US$1.05bn
•    The US currently spends US$2.04bn but needs to increase its share to US$10.37bn by 2012.

ActionAid is also calling for an ambitious response to climate change, a binding and enforceable code of conduct against land deals in developing countries and stopping enforced trade liberalisation on developing countries.

Notes to Editors

• For more information please contact Asha Tharoor on 07813 688680 or the press office direct on 020 7561 7614
• 1.  Our calculations of current donor spending are based on a three-year average of disbursements, in current prices, to the four sectors most relevant to the FAO’s anti-hunger package: agriculture, forestry and fishing (DAC category 310: III.1); rural development (43040); bio-diversity (41030); and emergency food aid (72040). They include an imputed share of donor contributions to key multilateral agencies (EC, IFAD and IDA), as well as an imputed share of budget support that can be assumed to contribute to relevant sectors. The amount of budget support ‘credited’ is based on a rough estimate that 5.5 per cent of developing country government budgets are spent on relevant sectors.
• 2.  Our league table rankings are based on the percentage of their fair share of aid needed that each donor is currently spending (based on a three-year average of disbursements). Aid needed is based on calculations by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), and fair share is based on the relative size of each G8 donor’s GDP.
• 3.   ActionAid’s HungerFREE campaign calls on governments to deliver on their commitment to halve world hunger by 2015.