Russia’s move, which it followed by bombing the key port city of Odesa and threatening to attack any ship sailing for Ukraine, sent global food prices skyrocketing.
If greenhouse gas emissions continue at a high rate, breadbaskets of Europe and North America will see a 50% chance of a flash drought each year by the end of this century.
A third of South Africa’s farming income depends on irrigation. Disruptions in power supply put huge chunks of the country’s agricultural fortunes at risk.
Raw flour at the store still contains live microorganisms. And while cooking can kill the fungi, it doesn’t destroy any illness-causing mycotoxins that might be present.
Grain and fertilizer shortages, higher shipping costs and a strong dollar are all pushing food prices up and increasing hunger in dozens of vulnerable countries.
Clemens Breisinger, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ; David Laborde Debucquet, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ; Joseph Glauber, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ; Oliver Kiptoo Kirui, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) y Paul Dorosh, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Wheat and bread play a central role for food security and political stability in Sudan.
Kibrom Abay, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ; Clemens Breisinger, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ; David Laborde Debucquet, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ; Joseph Glauber, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) y Lina Alaaeldin Abdelfattah, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Egypt is already feeling the impact of the war, which has led to recent cancellation of tenders due to lack of offers, in particular from Ukraine and Russia.
Wheat accounts for about 20% of human calorie consumption, and Russia and Ukraine are both major exporters. The war could hit household food supplies in countries as far apart as Egypt and Indonesia.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine will have global impacts far beyond the region directly involved in the fighting. Food prices will increase, and the effects will be felt by the most vulnerable.
In the short term, the war is causing energy prices to soar and prompting fears of famine in some countries. In the long term, it could remake the modern global supply chain.