The United Nations recently received $1 billion in funding to help fight world hunger by investing in agriculture. The UN is investing in agricultural education to help ease food security issues in many countries. Islamic Development Bank made the deal with the UN.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) explained the importance of the $1 billion in funding and how it can solve food security, "Today, sustained investment in agriculture - especially small-holder agriculture - is acknowledged as the key to food security."

Starting this Monday, the FAO is hosting a three-day summit on food security. Monday, UN members unanimously adopted a declaration pledging renewed commitment to eradicate hunger from the face of the earth, according to the FAO. Past declarations vowed to cut the amount of hungry in half by 2015.

The UN recently stated that one in six, or over 1 billion people, are malnourished across the globe.

Climate change has become a growing concern at food security summits. On Monday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon expressed, "Africa's small farmers, who produce most of the continent's food and depend mostly on rain, could see harvests drop by 50 per cent by 2020. We must make significant changes to feed ourselves and, most especially, to safeguard the poorest and most vulnerable."

Outlook

Educating farmers in poor countries will help fight hunger. Policy needed to change since trade subsidies had not been working for hunger-stricken countries, according to The London-based think tank International Policy Network.

FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf explained that Earth requires $44 billion of official development assistance per year to wipe out world hunger. He explained that since 2007, $1.3 trillion was spent on military aid, so an end to world hunger should be attainable.

- Colvin