Tuesday, May 24 2005 13:33 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Houston: War is the leading cause of world hunger, closely followed by HIV/AIDS and climatic changes, a UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report said.

More than 35 per cent of food emergencies between 1992 and 2003 were due to conflict and economic problems, compared to around 15 per cent from 1986 to 1991, the FAO said in a report presented at a food security meeting yesterday (May 23, 2005).

The report calls for special attention in coping with "key shocks" to food security arising from conflicts, natural disasters, HIV/AIDS - which has decimated the agricultural workforce in many African countries - as well as plant and animal pests and diseases.

The report also draws attention to the threat to food security posed by global warming and climate change - which causes flooding and desertification.

"In the long run, all countries are likely to be affected by climate changes as a result of the global warming phenomenon," it states.

"The proportion of food emergencies that can be considered human-made has increased over time," the report said, warning that the goal of halving the world's hungry by 2015 is almost certain to be missed by a wide margin if current trends continue.

The overall world food security situation changed little compared with last year, and the number and scale of conflict-related food security emergencies is increasing, the report finds.

Natural disasters and human-induced factors can reinforce each other, leading to complex emergencies and protracted crisis, the report cautions.