Backdrop

Over 900 million people are victims of malnourishment, and approximately 15% of the global population consume 60% of food worldwide. Meanwhile, global food prices have risen by 24%, seriously affecting over 70 million people around the world, mostly from developing countries. Estimates suggest that the total number of malnourished people worldwide reached as high as 44 million in 2008 alone to reach 967 million, up from 848 million in 2003. Food insecurity plays a major role in fuelling social conflicts and exacerbating tensions across communities and countries and is a common global concern.

The role of India in tackling food security is of pivotal importance given its emergence as a global power and generally poor access to food.

International Food Security Symposium

The NEF-Mercator Fund together with The Sir Ratan Tata Trust and the Collectives for Integrated Livelihoods Initiative propose to co-organise a two-day, high level International Symposium on food security in 2011. This Symposium has the aim of stimulating new insight into the subject and contributing towards policy formulation on the subject. An enabling environment will be created to foster collaboration between organisations and establish a forum within which the foundation community and policy makers can devise new food security support initiatives.

This Symposium will bring attention to the issue of food security at a time when it is clouded by other issues such as climate change and global financial instability. The Symposium will take place in India, and will bring together key stakeholders involved in national food security policy formation together with counterparts from other nations, notably Brazil who will be sending a special delegation of Food Security authorities to the event.

Professionals across industries like media, academia, non-government organisations, policy makers, grassroots representatives and experts in food security will be brought together to develop new points of departure for food security policies. For the Foundation Community The Symposium offers an opportunity to draw attention and generate funds in addressing food security at the policy level.

The symposium proceedings will be documented fully and a joint publication of all papers and discussions will be circulated among interested organisations and governments. This will be coordinated by NEF-Mercator Fund's dedicated media outreach organisation, The Global Media Centre, in an effort to bring awareness and inform policy.