The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says the number of hungry people in the world increased by about 50 million last year due to high food prices.

FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf talks to journalists during press conference in Rome, 05 Jun 2008

FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf, speaking in Brussels Thursday, said prices have risen as population growth increased demand.  He also said climate change, particularly droughts and floods, has hurt food production.

The FAO says global food production needs to double by 2050 in order to meet growing demand.  The group says production increases should take place mostly in developing countries, where more than 95 percent of the projected population increase will occur.

Diouf said increasing agricultural production in developing countries will require about $24 billion a year to be spent on water management, improving rural roads, and research.