World less hungry than before: UN Despite the spate of disasters
from Haiti to Pakistan and high domestic food prices in several
developing countries, the number of hungry and undernourished
people across the world has fallen for the first time in 15
years. The United Nations' food agency is reporting a 10 per
cent drop in the number of people suffering from chronic
malnutrition, thanks to improving economic conditions and lower
food prices after two years of bumper cereal harvests. But the
head of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Jacques
Diouf, says while the figure marks an improvement, there is no
cause for complacency as one child still dies every six seconds
because of undernourishment. It is estimated up to 98 per cent
of the world's hungry live in developing countries, and more
than 40 per cent of those are in China and India. UN World Food
Program executive director Josette Sheeran says the first fall
in 15 years is good news, but she notes her organisation alone
needs $1 billion by the en