Talk point: the Sahel hunger crisis and global food security

"A year on from the UN declaration of famine in Somalia, with a hunger summit planned for London this August, and continued unease over high and volatile food prices, we want to know what you think: why are hungerand food insecurity still such global problems, while other development goals show progress? As part of the debate, this month's Global development podcast will look at the food crisis in west Africa's Sahel region. The latest figures from aid agencies suggest that at least 18 million people are at risk of food shortages in Niger, Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Senegal, and one million children are at risk of severe acute malnutrition. Our podcast will feature Slanwa Gaston from Tearfund's Niger office, Denise Brown, head of the World Food Programme's Niger office, and Samuel Hauenstein Swan, senior policy adviser at Action Against Hunger, which works in Niger, Mali, Chad and Somalia."