'With masterly attention to detail and sources, John Shaw traces the twists and turns of the evolving story of world food security. The strength and originality of Shaw's account is its comprehensiveness, never losing the storyline but bridging the macro and the micro, commodity agreements and global reserves, human rights and early warning systems and the roles of all the UN agencies involved. This fascinating account provides another piece in the jigsaw of the UN's contributions to economic and social governance over the last 60 years and the lessons to be drawn for facing the challenges of the years ahead.' - Professor Sir Richard Jolly, Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, and the UN Intellectual History Project, CUNY Graduate Center, New York, USA
'Hunger and under-nutrition provide the graphic images which drive an oft-stated passion for international development - by politicians and ordinary citizens. Why, then, are hunger reduction targets so often missed? John Shaw reminds us that passion and commitment need to be complemented with the hard grind of policy and institutional change. His authoritative history illustrates the frustrations, but also the hope. Hunger in the world is falling partly because we have acted collectively to make it so.' - Simon Maxwell, Director, Overseas Development Institute, London, UK