Case study
Initiative on Soaring Food Prices. Country Responses to the Food Security Crisis: Nature and Preliminary Implications of the Policies Pursued. EASYPol Module 062
This applied work intends to examine the short-term measures adopted by some 81 countries and is intended for policy makers and analysts.
Prices of staple foods, such as rice and vegetable oil, have doubled between January and May 2008. High food prices together with record petroleum and fertilizer prices have spurred inflation. Poorer households with a larger share of food in their total expenditures are suffering the most from high food prices, due to the erosion of purchasing power, which has a negative impact on food security, nutrition and access to school and health services. Higher prices also result in pressure on public expenditures which undermines funding of programmes aiming at alleviating poverty or meeting MDG targets.
A series of immediate short-term policy measures have been implemented by countries in response to respond to rising food prices. These responses can be categorized in three groups:
- Trade-related measures;
- Consumers-related measures; and,
- Producers-related measures.
This paper is part of the FAO Policy series: EASYPol-Resources for policy making (in agriculture, rural development and food security). To find other EASYPol series' resources, go to the Policy Support and Governance website>Resources and type "EASYPol" in the free text search.