GLOBAL FOOD PRICE INCREASED IN 2012

[Reproduced from WORLDWATCH INSTITUTE]

According to Worldwatch's latest Vital Signs Online trend, the global food price index increased in 2012, reaching a level not seen in nearly forty years. Higher prices for commodities like corn, wheat, rice, soybeans, poultry, and pork drove the overall price increase, which made it more difficult for poorer people in some parts of the world to access enough nutritious food.

Our research indicates that these price increases were driven by a variety of factors---including weather shocks, policies promoting the use of biofuels, and low food stocks---and will continue in decades to come due to factors like climate change, increasing linkages between agriculture and energy markets, and increasing global demand. For more on the recent increase in food prices, check out " Global Food Prices Continue to Rise," released today.

And you can now pre-order your copy of State of the World 2013: Is Sustainability Still Possible?, the latest edition of Worldwatch's annual flagship report. In this new report, contributing authors, including Michael Maniates, David Orr, and Sandra Postel, among many others, look at how "sustainability" should be measured, how we can attain it, and how we can prepare if we fall short.