Food summit to make little headway in war on hunger

By Silvia Aloisi

ROME (Reuters) - A U.N. world food summit next week is likely to make little headway in the fight against hunger, with leaders simply pledging to boost agricultural aid to poor countries but setting no targets or deadlines for action.

With more than one billion people going hungry, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation had called the Nov. 16-18 summit in Rome hoping to win a clear pledge by world leaders to spend $44 billion a year to help poor nations feed themselves.

But a final draft declaration seen by Reuters includes only a general commitment to pump more money into agricultural development, and makes no mention of a proposal to eliminate hunger by 2025.

"We commit to take action towards sustainably eradicating hunger at the earliest possible date," said the draft of the declaration, to be adopted on the first day of the Rome summit barring last-minute amendments.

Aid groups said the summit, which few if any G8 leaders are expected to attend, already looked like a missed opportunity.

"The declaration is just a rehash of old platitudes," said Francisco Sarmento, ActionAid's food rights coordinator.

France said the draft was insufficient and vowed to push for firmer pledges on finance and regulation of global agricultural markets.

"The draft final declaration of the summit...is a draft that still needs to be improved," said Farm Minister Bruno Le Maire, who will be representing France at the summit.