Jonathon Burch draws attention to Oxfam’s recent announcement that Afghanistan needs urgent help to avert a humanitarian crisis this winter, with millions facing some of the worst conditions for more than 20 years.

As the world reels with the shock of soaring food prices erupting into food riots, questions are being raised as to how this situation came about. Jayati Ghosh analyses the current world food crisis and traces its origins to the neoliberal policies that have dominated economic decision-making in the Third World.