What's New

The latest FAO Food Price Index , released today, rose 3.2 points from April. This is the fourth consecutive month to see a slight increase in the Index; however, prices remain 7 percent below May 2015 levels.

Wheat takes center stage in the May issue of FAO's Monthly News Report on Grains , released this week.

According to an article from Bloomberg, Russia is expected to see a record grain crop this year after the warmest winter on record and plentiful spring rains; the wheat crop is expected to reach 63.3 million tons of wheat, the second largest harvest after 2008.

The effects of climate change vary from region to region, but according to a new study from the World Bank, the majority of the global impact stemming from climate change will come through the water cycle. High and Dry: Climate Change, Water, and the Economy examines how scarce and variable water supplies will interact with growing global populations, rising incomes, and expanding urban areas and how smart policies and investments can reduce or eliminate the negative consequences.

FEWS Net has released the latest Global Food Assistance Outlook Brief , covering projected food needs for November 2016. The report covers forward-looking analysis of projected emergency food needs in covered countries, based on the size of each country's acutely food insecure population and projected length of the lean season.

On May 12, the USAID Agrilinks program held a webinar on a new report released by the World Bank, entitled Enabling the Business of Agriculture 2016: Comparing Regulatory Good Practices . The event examined the report’s key findings and discussed the objectives and future path of the Enabling the Business of Agriculture (EBA) project .