Ki-moon urges 'hard decisions' ahead of food summit

World leaders gathered in Rome for a UN summit on food security, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urging "hard decisions" and heavy investment in agriculture. "For years, falling food prices and rising production lulled the world into complacency," Ban told the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). "Governments put off hard decisions and overlooked the need to invest in agriculture," Ban said at IFAD's new Rome headquarters on the eve of the three-day Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) summit. "Today, we are literally paying the price," he said. "If not handled properly, this issue could trigger a cascade of other crises -- affecting economic growth, social progress, and even political security around the world," Ban warned.