At the 1996 World Food Summit, world leaders pledged that by 2015, the number of hungry people in the world would be halved.
No surprise to learn this target will not be met and that at present there are some 800 million people in the world who haven't enough to eat.
Next month in Rome, another summit will take place under the auspices of the United Nations.Once again, world leaders will be in attendance, and there is no doubt that new pledges will be made.
Prof Denis Lucey of UCC's food business and development department is involved in preparatory work for the summit, examining the role of research and education in dealing with the problem, as well as the links between universities in the northern and southern hemispheres.
Recently, Dr Per Pinstrup-Andersen, director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), delivered an address at UCC on sustainable food security in the world and the policy initiatives required.
He will also make one of the keynote addresses at the Rome summit. IFPRI research concentrates on economic growth and poverty alleviation in low-income countries, improving the wellbeing of the poor and developing programmes to support agriculture.