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Food scarcity, global warming, and rocketing food and fuel prices have led to a dangerous global food crisis, plunging an extra 100 million people into poverty. 

Global food prices have risen by 75% since 2000 while wheat prices have increased by a staggering 200%. The cost of other items such as rice and soy bean has also hit record highs, while corn is at its most expensive in 12 years.   

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the world's poorest countries can expect the cost of imported food to rise 56%, and 37 countries face food crises and consequences like malnourishment, starvation and civil unrest.

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Once the price of rice or wheat has risen, other factors start to deteriorate the situation.  People start panicking and hoarding, as speculators buy up supply and food producing countries impose export controls to try and preserve food for their own people. This then means less is available for export to countries which rely on food imports. The increasing cost of grains increases the price of meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products.

There is also the added environmental pressure of climate change. Desertification is accelerating in China and sub-Saharan Africa, while more frequent flooding and changing patterns of rainfall are already beginning to have a significant impact on agricultural production. Global warming has played a significant role as another driver of rising prices: the shift in agricultural production from food to biofuels.

The age-old pattern of famine is changing.  It is no longer just rural populations being affected, but urban ones as well.  Food is available in the markets and shops,but people can't afford to buy it. This is becoming the new face of hunger.

Dramatic wheat price increases in Afghanistan have led the UN World FoodProgram (WFP) to estimate that 425,000 households can no longer afford to buy food.

Out of the 36 countries currently facing a food crisis, 21 are in Africa,where 2.9 million people die each year because of hunger. 315 million people in sub-Saharan Africa alone live on less than $1 a day.

Islamic Relief has implemented many emergency and non-emergency feeding programs in various countries. Your urgent help is needed to bring relief and save lives during this global food crisis.

Learn more:

WFP: Hunger's global hotspots (WFP)

Aid agency warns of ‘silent tsunami’ of hunger (MSNBC)

UN expert: food crisis is a human rights emergency (International Herald Tribune)

Food crisis leaves many Afghans desperate (Yahoo! News)