Are you worried about volatile food prices?

A Nepalese woman sifts her rice crop at Bhaktapur, outskirts of Katmandu, Nepal, Monday, Oct. 10, 2011. (Niranjan Shrestha/Associated Press)

Prices for rice, wheat and other key foods are expected to remain volatile and possibly increase -- and poor farmers and consumers particularly in Africa will be hurt most, the UN food agencies said Monday.

In an annual report on the state of food insecurity around the world, the UN's three food agencies urged governments to make good on pledges to share information about farm forecasts and food stock levels to avoid the price swings that resulted in food riots in 2006-2008 and an eight percent increase in the number of undernourished people in Africa.

They also urged greater long-term investment in the agriculture sectors of poor countries so farmers can bolster production to meet increasing demand and cope better when food crises hit.

A recent UN study predicted that prices will be 20 percent higher for cereals and up to 30 percent higher for meat in the coming decade compared with the past 10 years.

Are you worried about the UN's warning of volatile food prices? What can, or should, the G-20 do to manage world food prices? Let us know in the comments section below.



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