ROME, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Only $3 billion of the $20 billion promised by a G8 summit to boost agricultural production in poorer countries appear to actually be new money, diplomats and sources close to the matter said on Tuesday. Most of that new money, up to $2 billion, is coming from the United States, the sources said. "In the $20 billion figure people have included all sorts of things, double counting stuff, putting in loans and grants: the real new money is $3 billion at best," one diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonimity. A G8 summit in Italy in July pledged $20 billion over three years to increase investment in agriculture in poor countries, in a major policy shift away from emergency food aid and towards longer-term strategies to fight world hunger. That shift will top the agenda this month at a world food summit hosted by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation, which aims to reach a broad consensus on the need to pump more money into agriculture to help poor countries feed themselves. Anti-poverty campaigners however have warned that the pledges announced by rich countries were proving elusive. "In researching this report, we found that no one could tell us which donors have committed how much towards the $20 billion or whn the funds will be disbursed," campaign group ActionAid said in a report last month. (reporting by Silvia Aloisi)
Farmers use a horse to transport their crops home after their harvest at Gowa regency in Indonesia's South Sulawesi province October 28, 2009. The South Sulawesi province is known for being ...
