852 million people were "gravely, permanently undernourished on this planet" at the end of 2005, an increase of 11 million from 2004. Trade practices of wealthy countries and desert encroachment aggravated the problem. A UN rights advocate said in a news conference yesterday. Much of that increase came in Africa, where drought, climate change and poor farming practices are spreading father southward the Sahara Desert.
The rate of increase of hungry people is greater than the overall increase in the population. Unfair trade practices hurt food production in Africa, where excess food from wealthy countries can be dumped in local markets, undercutting local producers.
To end hunger, the UN advocate suggested planting fast-growing trees to secure fertile lands, building more irrigation canals and employing pesticides early to kill crop-ruining insects.
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