ROME: World leaders at a food summit on Monday rallied around a new strategy to fight global hunger by helping poor countries feed themselves, but rebuffed a UN appeal to put a price tag on funding. The summit approved its final declaration during its first hours in a show of broad consensus. Countries pledged to substantially increase aid to agriculture in developing nations, so that the world s 1 billion hungry can become more self-sufficient. In effect, the 192 countries were essentially endorsing the strategy adopted by the world s wealthiest nations at the Group of Eight summit this summer in L Aquila, Italy. But Monday s meeting did not commit to the $44 billion a year for agricultural aid that the UN Food and Agriculture Organization says will be necessary in the coming decades. Shortly after the delegates rejected the funding appeal, Pope Benedict XVI took the floor to decry opulence and waste in a world where the tragedy of hunger has been steadily worsening. More than 1 billion people - roughly one of every six people on Earth - don t get enough food. The pontiff, lending his moral authority as head of the world s 1 billion Catholics, also called for access to international markets for products coming from the poorest countries, which he said are often relegated to the sidelines. The pope urged delegates to keep the fundamental rights of the individual in mind when shaping new agricultural strategy. People are entitled to sufficient, health and nutritious food as well as water, he said. The UN agency, which is hosting the three-day summit at its Rome headquarters, had also hoped countries would adopt 2025 as a deadline to eradicate hunger. But the declaration instead focused on a pledge set nine years ago to halve the number of hungry people by 2015. Shortly before delegates approved the declaration, the United Nations chief urged rich and powerful countries to tackle unacceptable global hunger. The world has more than enough food, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told delegates. Yet, today, more than 1 billion people are hungry. This is unacceptable. So far, helping the world s hungry has largely entailed wealthy nations sending food assistance rather than technology, irrigation help, fertilizer or high-yield seed that could assist local farmers, livestock herders and fishermen. Much of this food assistance is purchased from the wealthy nations own farmers. But the Food and Agriculture Organization says the best way to stop hunger is to help the needy help themselves, and the final declaration agreed to do that. This approach lies at the core of food security, Ban said. Our job is not just to feed the hungry, but to empower the hungry to feed themselves. The summit is being held at a time when the international community recognizes it has neglected agriculture for many years, the organization said Sunday. Sustained investment in agriculture - especially small-holder agriculture - is acknowledged as the key to food security. The gathering hopes to build momentum on a shift toward more aid to agriculture that was first laid out at the G-8 summit in July, during which leaders of the developed nations pledged to spend $20 billion in the next three years to help farmers in poor countries.
