More than 800 million people suffer from hunger or malnourishment - almost one sixth of the world's population. Most of them live in developing countries - in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Wars, conflicts, failed harvests and population increase are just some of the causes for famine and poverty in these countries.

At the World Food Summit in 1996, the United Nations resolved to halve the number of those suffering from malnutrition by the year 2015. However, five years after the summit, the United Nation's fight against famine is way behind schedule.

Instead of reducing the number of the hungry by twenty million a year, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has only been able to help eight million. At this rate, the organization will not meet its target until the year 2030.

Current development programmes include the setting up of early warning systems in order to inform the international community about possible famines before they occur.

Scientific efforts directed at improving the nutritional value of cultivated plants, such as rice, have also raised hopes for improvement.

However, some 140 million dollars alone are needed to help re-start farming in areas hit by war, floods or drought this year. So far the FAO has only received ten million.