The risks to food security for many of the world’s population remains very high and these concerns are set to continue throughout 2023. In particular, food price pain is set to continue into 2023.
The trigger point for food shortages and food price levels relate to three factors that have led to major crop losses. These are:
- Fertiliser shortages,
- Climate change,
- Global conflict zones, especially the Russian – Ukraine war.
With no immediate solution on the horizon, longer-term actions are required to stop the current situation from intensifying across subsequent years. Sustainable solutions are needed to end ongoing cycle of global food crises.
As a case in point, SciDev.Net charts the plight of family man Abdel Moneim Mahmoud. Just one year ago, US$150 was enough for Egyptian government employee Mahmoud to meet the basic food needs of his family for a month. Today, things have changed drastically and Mahmoud’s food bill has risen to US$260.
Fertiliser shortages are connected to global inflation and the cost of energy supply. Nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium are the primary constituents of fertilisers. Each of these is derived from fossil fuels and require large amounts of energy to process.
Many crops are fertiliser dependent so that yields of sufficient volume can be produced. The majority of the world’s food needs are met by four staple crops: Wheat, rice, maize, and soybeans. Each of these crops are highly fertiliser dependent and account for the majority of global intake of calories.
The United Nations has increased its warnings about the mounting crisis for fertilisers as vulnerable countries in areas such as Africa grapple with oil prices that have soared by 300 percent since Russia’s war in Ukraine began.
Concerns with the cost of food is not only impacting low-income countries. Even in high-income countries like the U.K., food costs are an issue. For example, 40 percent of participants in a poll run by the Food Standards Agency (a government organisation) reported feeling worried about being able to afford food in the next month. Furthermore, 30 percent of participants reported that they had skipped a meal or cut down the size of their meals because they did not have enough money to buy food in the last month.
As well as energy and conflict, climate change is impacting upon the world’s food supplies. An example is with the staple potato. Potatoes are a cool-climate crop and the rise in warmer weather, especially in the northern hemisphere, has significantly affected potato yields. Based on current climate change predictions are hotter and drier summers, the impact on potatoes and other traditionally lower-cost yet nutritious foodstuffs is likely to worsen.
With the rate of warming, in the top two kilometres of the Earth’s atmosphere, rates f warming has doubled from levels in the 1960s. This is according to an article in the journal Nature Reviews: Earth and Environment (and as reported by The Guardian).
