U.N. Report Says 17,000 Children Die A Year, World Leaders Renew Support To End Hunger

November 17, 2009 2:36 p.m. EST

Rome, Italy (AHN) - Kicking off a three-day summit on world food security in Rome U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon revealed 17,000 children die a day of hunger. The statistics were part of a new report released by the United nations Food and Agriculture Organization and prompted a renewed pledge by world leaders to end hunger.

The report titled "Pathways to Success" showcased the progress made by numerous countries that reached their target of reducing by half the number of people hungry by 2015.

The report went on to outline four common factors the contributed to the success of Armenia, Brazil, Nigeria and Vietnam that have significantly reduced hunger. They are the creation of the right environment promoting economic growth and personal wellbeing; investment in the rural poor and outreach to the most vulnerable; ensuring achievements are maintained and safeguarded against threats; planning for a sustainable future.

Tuesday's summit began with world leaders pledging in a declaration to renew their commitment to easing the hunger worries of the world. They promised to do so by promoting investment, reversing the decline in funding for agriculture and tackling the effect of global warming on food security. Ban went on to say that in 2050, the world will need to feed 2 billion more mouths -- 9.1 billion in all.

Some of the ways U.N. Officials propose to give a helping hand is by providing farmers with seeds and land and offering them access to better markets and fairer trade. Goals for the program include not just feedin the hungry but empowering them to feed themselves.

For instance a program Nigeria spearheaded through its National Program for Food Security, was able to double production and incomes of small farmers who practice rain fed agriculture by introducing improved technologies that enabled them to grow two or three crops each year instead of just one.

The humanitarian agency launched an online anti-hunger campaign in an attempt to allow the general public to assist, it is called www.1billionhungry.org.