Hunger on the rise worldwide

Spiking food prices brought on by the rise in the cost of oil worldwide, harsh weather in Asia and crop disease in Africa have sparked angry riots as people struggle to afford to feed themselves.

"That anger is palpable across the globe. The food crisis is not only being felt among the poor but is also eroding the gains of the working and middle classes, sowing volatile levels of discontent and putting new pressures on fragile governments," writes Marc Lacey of the New York Times recently. Jeffrey D. Sachs, the economist and special adviser to the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon. “It’s a big deal and it’s obviously threatening a lot of governments. There are a number of governments on the ropes, and I think there’s more political fallout to come.”

The website GlobalVoices has a special coverage section that covers the growing food crisis this year.