Cafod, Sciaf and more than 100 other British-based charities have launched a campaign to tackle global hunger which takes aim at tax avoidance and land-grabs by multinationals.

The Enough Food For Everyone IF campaign says that the buying up of large areas of land by multinationals, some of whom grow crops for fuel rather than food, are forcing small-scale farmers from their land and squeezing their ability to feed themselves and their communities.

It also charges that the lives of 230 young children could be saved every day if firms paid their proper dues in the nations where they operated. It says children who grow up hungry earn less in adulthood because of poor health, which the campaign estimates will cost some of the poorest parts of the world an estimated £78bn in lost economic output by 2030.

The IF campaign, to be launched tonight in London, Cardiff, Glasgow and Belfast and other major cities, is backed by South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Microsoft founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, as well as actors Bill Nighy, Keeley Hawes and Bonnie Wright, musician Baaba Maal, Olympic athlete Colin Jackson and England rugby player Matt Dawson.

The campaign coincides with the UK's presidency of the G8. It urges Prime Minister David Cameron to keep his promise to spend 0.7 per cent of income on foreign aid and urge other world leaders to follow suit. The campaign is arguing for extra help for agriculture in developing nations and to mitigate the impact of climate change. It also wants Mr Cameron to push for greater transparency from governments of developing countries and multinationals to ensure that corrupt deals are stopped and all parties can be held to account. 

For a full list of charities taking part and for more about the campaign, click here.