Escalating food prices: the threat to poor households and policies to safeguard a recovery for all

This working paper: briefly reviews possible causes of the food price spike that began in mid-2010;  examines recent local food price movements in 58 developing countries during 2010;  discusses the adverse impacts of food price increases on households; presents a rapid desk review of international and domestic policy responses in 98 developing countries under a three-pillar policy framework—supporting consumption, boosting production and regulating/managing food markets; and calls for urgent and coordinated policy actions by national governments and the international community.