(Editor's note: Corn prices jumped to a record $6 a bushel on Thursday.)

(CNSNews.com) - World Bank President Robert Zoellick says a global food crisis demands the immediate attention of world leaders.

"As financial markets have tumbled, food prices have soared," Zoellick said in a speech on Wednesday. He said the situation is not expected to get better any time soon -- and he is pushing what he calls a "new deal for global food policy."

"Since 2005, the prices of staples have jumped 80 percent," Zoellick said on Wednesday. "Last month, the real price of rice hit a 19-year high; the real price of wheat rose to a 28-year high and almost twice the average price of the last 25 years."

While that is good news for farmers, it is blow to vulnerable groups, including children, he said.

"The World Bank Group estimates that 33 countries around the world face potential social unrest because of the acute hike in food and energy prices. For these countries, where food comprises from half to three quarters of consumption, there is no margin for survival."

Zoellick said the first step should be helping people with immediate needs. "The UN's World Food Program requires at least $500 million of additional food supplies to meet emergency calls. The United States, the European Union, Japan, and other (donor) countries must act now to fill this gap -- or many more people will suffer and starve," he said.

The World Food Program issued an emergency appeal last month, urging donor nations to fill "a critical funding gap" as it tries to meet the emergency needs of 3 million people a day in Darfur -- as well as 70 million people in some 80 other nations.

The World Food Program blames the soaring cost of food and fuel for its shortfall. It said it is doing what it can to save money -- including making 80 percent of its food purchases in local and regional markets of the developing world. "In 2007 alone, we increased our local purchases by 30 percent," the WFP said. "This not only saves on food and transport costs but is a win for local farmers, helping to break the cycle of hunger at its root."

'Green revolution'

Zoellick said the World Bank will work with countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, to create a "Green Revolution" that will help countries boost productivity and help small farmers break the cycle of poverty. "We will almost double our own lending for agriculture in Africa, from $450 million to $800 million," he said.

Zoellick said his new deal requires a shift away from traditional food aid. He said in many cases, cash or vouchers work better than commodity support in building local food markets and boosting local farm production.

The new deal also requires a shift away from trade barriers. The world's agricultural trading system is stuck in the past, Zoelllick said. He said it's time to cut agricultural subsidies and open up markets for food imports.

"A fairer and more open global trading system for agriculture will give more opportunities -- and confidence -- to African and other developing country farmers to expand production," he said.

(Zoellick is a former U.S. trade representative.)

Biofuels

In his speech on Wednesday, Zoellick mentioned biofuels as one the "realities" that will keep food prices high for years to come.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 passed by Congress and signed by President Bush increases the amount of biofuels (usually corn-based ethanol) that must be added to gasoline sold in the United States.

But diverting corn from food to fuel use has raised food prices, the Heritage Foundation noted.

Corn cost about $2.00 a bushel when the 2005 law was signed, but it's now selling for more than $5.00 -- "primarily because a quarter of the crop is now used to produce energy," wrote Ben Lieberman, a senior policy analyst at Heritage.

Moreover, the price of corn-fed meat and dairy products has jumped as well; and wheat and soybean prices are also rising, because acreage once devoted to those crops is now going to corn.

But there is no let-up in Congress: On Tuesday, House Democrats pressed the nation's top oil companies to invest 10 percent of their profits in renewable energy, including biofuels.

While some oil companies are dabbling in renewable energy, the executives insist that fossil fuels will keep America running for many years to come.