POVERTY: Economic Crisis Threatens Agriculture in Europe and Asia

The financial and economic crisis has weakened agriculture particularly in Central and East Europe. Both Europe and Central Asia have been hit hardest by the crisis thus affecting progress made so far in fighting poverty and food insecurity. Food and Agriculture Organization Director-General Jacques Diouf made these remarks in his speech to the 27th FAO Regional Conference for Europe in Yerevan, Armenia.
Diouf had earlier launched a major international anti-hunger campaign, the "1billionhungry project", to press world leaders to join efforts to "eliminate hunger from our planet." He said there was a need to invest in Europe and Central Asia noting that with sufficient investment, nearly 10 million hectares of arable land could be developed to grow grains and oilseeds in Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and Ukraine.
http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/42310/icode/