The World Hunger Series: Hunger and Markets appears at a crucial
time. Food prices are at high levels, there is a severe global
financial crisis, and vulnerable households around the world are
endangering their future health, education and productivity by
reducing both the quality and the quantity of their food intake.
It is the third volume of the World Food Programme’s World
Hunger Series – created to help promote a better understanding
of the choices confronting leaders as they work to fight hunger.
Hunger and Markets explores the complex and multifaceted
interactions between the availability of and access to food and
the operation of markets. The structure and dynamics of food
markets and the threats and opportunities they generate are
crucial for the access to food for billions of people. Markets
are critical in averting or mitigating food shortages and hunger
by adjusting to shocks, reducing vulnerability and coping with
crises. Whether markets help or harm the hungry poor is a
function of market instit