Aid charity Oxfam appealed to world leaders Tuesday to agree an urgent global action plan in response to the food price crisis, as they gathered for a UN summit on the issue in Rome. Oxfam notably accused the international community of spending a "pittance" on supporting agriculture in developing countries compared to the huge support given to farmers in rich Western countries. At least 290 million people are threatened by rising food prices, according to the British-based charity, which estimates that an extra 14.5 billion dollars (9.3 bln euros) is needed to bolster immediate assistance. "This amount is small when contrasted with the more than one trillion the US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank have injected into the financial system in the past six months to try to avert economic crisis," it said.