As a consequence of the 2007-2008 financial crisis and of the simultaneous food crisis, the number of malnourished in the world grew of 115 million people, drawing attention to the tragedy of poverty and hunger as plagues of our planet.

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The current and unsolved economic crisis could further worsen this situation. After the 2008 hikes, despite the relatively stable prices of food and agricultural goods, the costs of basic food supplies is still very high and volatile, particularly in developing countries.  And this constantly jeopardizes food security. Furthermore, the economic crisis will certainly worsen food insecurity as it also affects employment and revenues.
The fight against hunger remains one of the greatest challenges in achieving the “Millennium Development  Goals” and it requires the strong and steady collaboration of the international community, including all governments, civil society and private sector.
As a matter of fact, the 2008 crisis is at the root of a coordinated mobilization of the global community that clearly highlighted the key weaknesses of the food farming system, which however still endure.  Prices are still high in many domestic markets (not only in poor countries) and the risk of future volatility persists.
The challenges linked with the global economic situation tend to exacerbate farming problems and food condition, mainly in less developed countries and for small scale farmers, and it require strong and tangible action. More than ever, the key strategy to fight poverty seems to be a development guided by agriculture. The persistence of severe malnutrition across the globe and the recent trends in agricultural prices, food production and consumption, validate the perception of a challenging future for food related issue, that in the next decades will also face the problem of population growth .    
Moreover, besides hunger and malnutrition we will also face the need to preserve natural resources, from witch agriculture and us all depends on, and climate change,  that put at risks everyone’s wellbeing on earth.

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