On November 13, 2009, Food and Agriculture Organization Director-General, Jacques Diouf, embarked on a 24-hour public hunger strike, in the lead up to this week’s World Summit on Food Security in Rome.

For many Japanese, satoyama represents the ideal of coexistence between humans and nature. It is commonly described as secondary woodlands and grasslands adjunct to small villages, and is the scene of rich biological diversity.

An article entitled Farmer in Chief, published by the New York Times last month, captured the attention of media, environmentalists and bloggers around the world. Written by journalist and professor Michael Pollan as an open letter to President-elect Barack Obama, the article urges Obama to make food security a key issue.

Food security is a critical issue for Africa today, as the continent struggles with declining agricultural stocks and high food prices. Add in the fact that human-induced climate change will further threaten already weakened productivity, and the situation is precarious.