Incoming Famine
As the war in Ukraine rages on, the international community is facing an unprecedented crisis. With food, fuel, and fertilizer prices skyrocketing, there is a real danger of countries around the world falling into famine. From the African continent to the Americas, the effects of this conflict are being felt in numerous ways. With a fragile global food system already weakened by climate change, the economic instability caused by the war in Ukraine could be the tipping point for a global food crisis.
The United Nations is concerned with the rise in fuel, fertilizer, and food prices instigated by the Ukraine-Russia war as it's threatening to push nations globally into famine while bringing mass migration, starvation, and destabilization on an unprecedented scale. David Beasley, the head of the UN World Food Program, revealed that the organization's latest analysis shows "a record 345 million acutely hungry people are marching to the brink of starvation." This is a 25% rise from 276 million at the beginning of 2022 before Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
According to Beasley, "There's a real danger it will climb even higher in the months ahead. Even more worrying is that when this group is broken down, a staggering 50 million people in 45 countries are just one step away from famine."
In the same vein, the report on global hunger by the World Food Program and four other UN agencies worsen the outlook. The report, termed "The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World," reveals that world hunger increased in 2021, with about 2.3 billion people facing severe or moderate difficulty getting enough to eat. The number facing severe food insecurity increased to about 924 million. The report said that between 702- 828 million people faced hunger last year.
Meanwhile, Beasley said in a live video that the effects of the conflict in Ukraine (the world bread basket) on world food availability and security means the number of hungry people globally is likely already bigger than 828 million. Before the invasion, Russia and Ukraine together accounted for a 3rd of the global wheat and barley exports and even half of the sunflower oil. Also, Russia and Belarus are the No. 2 and 3 producers of potash worldwide, a major fertilizer ingredient. All these made Beasley call for a quick political solution to enable Ukrainian grain and wheat to re-enter world markets.
In fact, Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, has been attempting to bring together a package to allow Ukraine to resume exporting wheat and other important commodities and for Russia to ship fertilizer and grain to global markets. Similarly, Qu Dongyu, the director-general of the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization), called for nations to increase food production, improve supply chains to support small and medium farmers, offer cash and other vital items for vegetable and cereal production, and protect livestock.
Qu Dongyu said, "We are at serious risk of facing a food access crisis now and probably a food availability crisis for the next season. We must prevent the acceleration of acute food insecurity trends in the coming months and years.
The spike in food, fuel, and fertilizer prices caused by the war in Ukraine is a stark reminder of the far-reaching consequences of conflict. As the prices continue to climb and food security becomes even more precarious, it is essential for world leaders to come together and work towards a lasting peace. Without concerted efforts, the threat of famine will continue to loom over the world and its most vulnerable populations. The UN has raised the concerns, the time for action is now!
