Africa is no stranger to food riots and the resulting political unrest. Experts have linked the Arab Spring, the series of upheavals in North Africa and the Middle East that led to regime change or protests in Libya, Yemen, Syria, and Tunisia, to food riots triggered by increased food prices in 2008, particularly grain. In […]
Economies around the world have accumulated layer upon layer of legacies from past shocks since the global financial crisis. Extraordinary fiscal actions in response to the pandemic led to a surge in fiscal deficits and public debt in 2020. Read More Here
The global agricultural system as it exists today is a manifestation of 100 years of geopolitical competition. The world produces enough food to feed everyone, but hunger is rising, people are getting fatter, and we waste 40% of the food we produce. The future of the world will be determined by changes happening in global […]
However the conflict in Eastern Europe unfolds, it seems clear that countries will have to give national security a far more prominent position in their development agendas. This means not only increasing defense spending, but also diversifying energy and food sources – and preparing for global economic fragmentation. Read More Here
An UNCTAD rapid assessment of the war in Ukraine’s impact on trade and development confirms a rapidly worsening outlook for the world economy, underpinned by rising food, fuel and fertilizer prices. The report also shows heightened financial volatility, sustainable development divestment, complex global supply chain reconfigurations and mounting trade costs. Read More Here
Today Russia and Ukraine, respectively the largest and fifth-largest wheat exporters, together account for 29% of international annual sales. Uncertainties around the sowing season in the two countries coupled with low global stocks will further increase already-high prices. Read More Here
Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged local governments to optimize their land resources to achieve food self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on grain imports in the coming years, the latest indication the country is bracing for a potential conflict with the United States. Read More Here
With nearly half of the Afghan population facing famine as the war-torn nation’s winter weather starts to bite, the West, China and Russia could tacitly contribute to a humanitarian crisis through their collective failure to provide the Taliban with desperately needed aid. Read More Here
There was a dramatic worsening of world hunger in 2020, the United Nations said today – much of it likely related to the fallout of COVID-19. While the pandemic’s impact has yet to be fully mapped*, a multi-agency report estimates that around a tenth of the global population – up to 811 million people – […]
The world’s food-import bill is expected to climb to an all-time high this year, with the soaring cost of staples hitting poor nations particularly hard and threatening to fuel global inflation. The cost of importing food is set to rise by 12% to $1.72 trillion, led by increases in grains, vegetable oils and oilseeds, the […]
looking beyond borders 