Food insecurity is our new normal, and climate change, conflict and economic instability are further driving marginalized populations
Post Date – 23rd Sunday, July 23rd at 11:40pm
India, the world’s largest rice exporter, has banned exports of non-basmati white rice to “ensure adequate supply” and “curb rising prices in the domestic market”. India’s rice exports account for more than 40% of the global total. Last year, Russia suspended the Black Sea Food Initiative, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, which allowed some 36 million tons of food from Ukraine to pass through safely, more than half of which reached developing countries. As of June 2023, 20 countries have implemented 27 food export bans, and 10 countries have implemented 14 export restrictions, while more than 828 million people go to bed hungry every night. No wonder the United Nations paints a grim picture for global food security. According to the latest report “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World” released by five UN agencies, 29.6% of the 2.4 billion people in the world do not have sustainable access to food, about 900 million people face severe food insecurity, and 148 million children are stunted. The heads of the five agencies said: There is no doubt that achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of “zero hunger” by 2030 is a daunting challenge. In fact, nearly 600 million people are expected to still face hunger by 2030. The main drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition are our new normal, where climate change, conflict and economic instability are driving those on the margins even further from security.
Many countries are struggling with high domestic food prices. The world’s central banks have yet to win the battle against inflation. Even staple foods like tomatoes have become out of reach. Europe is being hit by a heatwave that the European Space Agency has warned is just getting started. These are bound to have a severe impact on crop yields. The El Niño weather pattern is bringing warmer temperatures. One study estimates that El Niño alone could cost the global economy about $3 trillion this year. Experts fear another spike in food prices will exacerbate woes for countries with “weak” currencies and debt burdens that trade in dollars. Nearly half of humanity (approximately 3.3 billion people) lives in countries where more money is spent paying interest on debt than spending on education or health. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned: “3.3 billion people are not just a systemic risk, they are a systemic failure.” In 2022, global public debt will hit a record $92 trillion. All this just means that food will get cheaper and people will have less to eat. But none of this has swayed the warring world to step back and focus on the real problems. A desperate attitude rather than letting our actions go with Godspeed.
