Rising Global Food Shortages
People in Sri Lanka lining up for essential food supplies (ISHARA S. KODIKARA)
Author: Anna Maloney
Currently
As the War in Ukraine continues despite the fall of Mariupol, and climate change continues to worsen growing conditions, a UN study found that the number of food insecure people globally has doubled in the last two years. The heatwaves in India recently have decimated wheat crops leading prices to further rise on the staple ingredient. While farming in the “Bread basket of the World” has been continually disrupted and shortages predicted since the fighting broke out, a crisis appears to be imminent. In Sri Lanka, a nation that has long faced a food crisis, an economic emergency has been declared as the nation battles rising exponentially worsened food shortages and inflation. In Afghanistan, as the Taliban tightens restrictions on women, instituting a new burqa mandate this week, warnings about mass deprivation and food scarcity have increasingly circulated.
In the United States
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken held meetings from May 18-19 to coordinate and mobilize actions promoting global food security. The U.S. has pledged over 2.3 billion dollars since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, with much of the budget specifically marked for countries likely to be most affected by the increase in food prices. From the May 18 Food Security Ministerial, the government will issue a Roadmap for the Global Food Security Call to Action, aiming to further address rising global food insecurity. The dwindling supplies of fertilizer are also being combated by the government, which has begun an attempt to boost domestic fertilizer production through a USDA program endowed with 500 million dollars.
Looking Ahead
As the U.S. continues to pledge economic support to countries with food insecurity affected by the crisis in Ukraine, changes in travel from covid, and global warming, countries are already experiencing food insecurity on a rising level. As the crisis in Sri Lanka ramped up over the last couple of months, some analysts have argued that the debt the nation owes to China will continually hinder efforts to resolve the financial crisis. Western countries account for very little of the economic support system in Sri Lanka, with many having expressed hesitancy due to the prevalent involvement of Japan and China. For those in the U.S. who see the Belt and Road initiative as a threat, this possible blowback from the crippling debt that the Sri Lankan government now owes, could prove a powerful warning to other nations fearful of severe economic recessions. Yet- at the time of publication- Sri Lanka has defaulted on its international debts and is no longer able to import gasoline or food.
