The main requirements are long-term agricultural improvements as well as institutions and safety-nets to respond to food crises fast cash-for-work programmes, for instance, or food vouchers to stop people selling their animals out of desperation.

ECONOMIST: The Sahel: Hungry again | The

Countries without social-protection systems, argues Simon Maxwell of Britain's Overseas Development Institute, will depend on food aid, food-for-work and cash-for-work programmes and it is not clear how quickly these can be scaled up.

ECONOMIST: Making food cheaper is not impossible

That is best done by distributing cash, not food by supporting (sometimes inventing) social-protection programmes and food-for-work schemes for the poor.

ECONOMIST: Food