all of these factors play an ever increasing role in commodity price formation suggesting a continuation of volatile and uncertain agricultural commodity markets the most recent years have been characterised by significant price volatility and a sharp rise in the numbers of malnourished people coming years will also be characterised by continuing economic demographic market and environmental pressures that will bring both opportunities and challenges to farmers food businesses consumers and governments although the world now produces enough to feed its population the number of undernourished has increased since the mid s reaching more than one billion persons in in part as a result of recent price spikes and the global economic recession