Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia - African households devote 50 to 75 per cent of their incomes to food, according to experts participating in the seventh session of the food security and sustainable development committee,  which started onThursday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital city. During the meeting which is to prepare Africa’s position on the Rio 20 conference that will be held in June 2012 in Brazil, experts highlighted that African underprivileged households  have little leeway to adjust to frequent food price rises. The links that exist between increases in the prices of foodstuffs which took place over the past few years, the instability of prices and food crises that resulted from it are known to everybody.

According to experts, these elements have had heavy and tragic consequences  in terms of under-nourishment and famine.

The main aim of the Addis Aababa meeting is to serve as a high-level forum to discuss Rio 20 goals and themes, and other in-depth issues concerning Africa in a bid to reach a consensus on the main priorities and concerns of the continent which need to be clearly spelt out and fully taken into account in the Rio 20 final documents.

The two-day meeting has brought together ministers and high-level experts representing government, civil society organizations, universities, the private sector in member countries, African regional and sub-regional organizations, and development partners.

Pana 22/10/2011