Repercussions Of The Global Food Crisis

By: Subha Ali

The Cause & Rapid Growth Of The

Global Food Crisis

The global food crisis began in 2022 and has continued into this year; it is one of the largest food crises in history. It was caused by increased food prices and food shortages in many regions.

Conflict is also playing a major role in affecting the global food crisis. Conflict forces people out of their homes, drives inflation, and cuts off people’s access to markets which leads to hunger.

Three hundred fifty million people around the world are currently experiencing hunger. The countries suffering the most from hunger now include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, The Sahel, South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia, Northern Ethiopia, and Haiti.

What Has Been Done &

What Needs to Be Done For This Global Impact

The U.N. World Food Program has been working on short-term and long-term solutions such as emergency food assistance and agricultural training for farmers.

They are using their solutions in 120 countries. The USDA’s assistance programs spent $182.5 million in 2021 to assist with food security and nutrition.

According to the World Food Program USA, it is estimated that $40 billion would be needed each year to end global hunger by 2030.

What The U.S. Is Doing To Resolve The Issue

Of The Global Food Crisis

President Biden announced that the United States has contributed $150 million to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program. The Global Agriculture and Food Security Program is a multilateral financing program improving food and nutrition security worldwide.

The U.S. is also helping through the Feed the Future initiative; they’ve invested in boosting agricultural productivity, reducing hunger, and improving nutrition while enabling communities to cope with shocks.

The Organizations & Foundations Involved With

Helping The Crisis

Many organizations monitor the food shortage and provide support and solutions. A list of these organizations are as follows:

1. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) was established as an agency of the United Nations in 1945. They help to eliminate hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition.

2. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) provides policy advice, capacity development, and financial support to help member countries tackle the global food crisis.

3. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is in over 80 countries. It is monitoring agricultural matters globally that also affect the global food crisis. They help governments become more food secure and raise incomes while also expanding markets for American producers.

4. The World Bank is also responding to the food insecurity crisis, working on solutions for food and fertilizer financing. The World Bank consists of five institutions that work on solutions to end poverty and build prosperity in developing countries.

Banks like the World Bank play a key role by increasing trade financing for agricultural commodities and supporting countries with infrastructure upgrades.

How To End World Hunger

As A Collective

The World Food Program USA shares ways to end world hunger:

• Breaking the cycle of food and hunger: Conflict leads to hunger, and creating peace in conflict areas helps prevent the use of hunger as a weapon in war.

• Increasing sustainability: Climate extremes also cause severe hunger. Communities need to build resilience to climate change.

• Addressing poverty and inequality: These two causes are the root of hunger.

• Help rural farmers connect to markets: Small-scale farmers live in poverty; they could improve production through resources.

• Reduce food waste and loss: The world produces more food than it can, yet 828 million people are still hungry.

• Eliminate malnutrition in mothers and children: Children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding women need access to nutritious food.

There are also steps you can take to help end world hunger, such as building resilience against climate extremes, connecting small-scale farmers with resources needed, ensuring food is not going to waste, and protecting groups at risk of malnutrition.

Conclusion

According to World Bank projections, world hunger will persist. Extreme weather and conflict are likely to drive more countries into a crisis. A different projection states by 2030, 660 million people may face hunger. The U.S. may also face a food shortage this year.

World hunger has been an ongoing issue, and the global food crisis has continued for over a year. While there are organizations in place and countries that are helping the countries in need, there are also steps that you can take to do your part in providing resources, making changes, and assisting organizations in supporting the countries in need.

External Resources