Top Hunger News: Ethiopia to Meet Hunger MDG

International

Ethiopia on Track to Halve the Poverty Rate by 2015, UN Says. The government has “made an enormous progress in the provision of social services such as education, health, and infrastructure by spending a large share of its budget in the pro-poor sector,” the report said. [Bloomberg Businessweek]

'More Poor' in India than Africa. Eight Indian states account for more poor people than in the 26 poorest African countries combined, a new measure of global poverty has found. [BBC]

FAO Opens Access to Food, Hunger and Ag Database. The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization is granting free and open access to its central data repository, FAOSTAT, the world's largest and most comprehensive statistical database on food, agriculture and hunger. [Porkmag.com]

G8 Hunger Aid Insufficient, Report Warns. The package of aid interventions that the world's eight wealthiest nations put in place last year to respond to the food-price crisis of 2007-08 was insufficient, according to a new report  from the U.K. Hunger Alliance and the Oakland Institute. Instead, governments should be investing in sustainable agriculture in the fight against global hunger, the report concludes. [EnvironmentalExpert.com]

Domestic

Idaho Food Stamp Use Doubles National Increase. Percentage wise, Idaho's increase was 42 percent, versus the national average around 21 percent. It's been steadily getting worse in the last couple of years, at the same rate as the decline in the economy and increased unemployment. [Fox News]

Survey Finds Retail Food Prices Edge Higher in Second Quarter. The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare one or more meals was $47.20, up $1.66 or 4% compared to the first quarter of 2010. The total average price for the 16 items increased about 2% compared to one year ago. [Michigan Farmer]

USDA Cuts Cattle, Hog Price Forecasts. The U.S. Department of Agriculture cut its cattle and hog price forecasts for the second consecutive month amid rising production and slower demand. [Drovers.com]

Climate Change/Environment

How Much Damage Has the BP Oil Spill Done? In the months since the start of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico there have been harrowing images of birds coated in oil and dead dolphins, but just what do we know about the scale of the environmental damage done? [BBC]

In Pictures: Eco-Friendly Water Solutions for Indian Farmers. With 98 million subsistence farmers relying on rain water to grow one crop a year, India has a huge need for small-scale irrigation. International Development Enterprises India (IDEI) believes it has found a solution. [BBC]