Do No Harm: Measured policy responses are key to addressing food security impacts of the Ukraine crisis
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is likely to have serious consequences for global food security. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has estimated that if there is a prolonged disruption in exports of wheat, fertilizer, and other items from Ukraine and Russia, the number of undernourished people worldwide could increase by 8 to 13 million people in 2022/23, with the most pronounced increases taking place in the Asia-Pacific region, followed by sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
FAO Food Price Index Hits All-Time High
In March, the FAO Food Price Index experienced another surge to reach the highest level since its 1990 inception. The Index rose by 12.6 percent from February, driven by all-time highs for vegetable oil, cereal, and meat prices.
Fertilizer Availability and Affordability: Implications for agricultural productivity and food security
The invasion of Ukraine has driven up already high global agricultural commodity prices. Fertilizer prices have also reached all-time highs, casting a serious shadow on future harvests, and thus add to concerns about global food security.
Speakers will address the implications of increased prices on fertilizer demand, usage and productivity, the viability of government fertilizer subsidies and soil health.
This is the third event in an IFPRI seminar series on Food and Fertilizer Price Trends: Impacts on global food security.
The Russia-Ukraine war is exacerbating international food price volatility
The IFPRI Food Security Portal’s Excessive Food Price Variability Early Warning System is showing excessive levels of price volatility in the four major food commodities: Wheat, maize, rice, and soybeans, as well as for cotton. Markets for hard and soft wheat and soybeans had already been more volatile than normal since late 2021, well ahead of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24. That conflict, coming on top of the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, has already contributed to spiking food prices, with possible major consequences for global food security.
Retail food prices at the country level and implications for food security
This policy seminar will explore what we know—and do not know—about how high global agricultural commodity prices and country-specific factors affect retail prices at the national level. Special attention will be given to countries suffering from acute food insecurity and those with a high dependence on imports.
The Russia-Ukraine crisis poses a serious food security threat for Egypt
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has imperiled global food security—creating suffering within Ukraine and displacing millions, while disrupting agricultural production and trade from one of the world's major exporting regions. The latter threatens to drive rising food prices still higher and create scarcity, especially for regions most dependent on exports from Russia and Ukraine—particularly the Middle East and North Africa.
Extraordinary Meeting of the AMIS Rapid Response Forum
As global food prices continue to rise and concerns grow over potential supply disruptions in the Black Sea region, policymakers and development practitioners are beginning to analyze the implications for global food markets and the potential for food crises. On March 5, 2022, the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) called an extraordinary meeting of the AMIS Rapid Response Forum.
FAO Food Price Index Hits Record High
The FAO Food Price Index hit a record high in February, exceeding the previous record of February 2011. The index rose 3.9 percent from January and 20.7 percent from February 2021. Vegetable oil, dairy, cereal, and meat price increases all contributed to the continued surge.
Global commodity prices and food security: Navigating new challenges and learning from the past
Agricultural commodity prices are reaching levels close to those witnessed in 2007/08 and 2010/11, and fertilizer prices have also increased significantly. Repercussions from the invasion of Ukraine are creating significant additional pressures on prices.
This policy seminar will present global data on key agricultural commodity, energy, transportation, and fertilizer markets to paint a comprehensive picture of price trends and their underlying causes and will include a comparison to the earlier price spikes of 2007/08 and 2010/11.
The Ukraine Conflict and Global Food Price Scares
The escalating tensions in the Black Sea region heaped fresh risks on global food markets already struggling with soaring prices, supply-chain disruptions, and a bumpy recovery from the pandemic. Before the Ukraine crisis, overall conditions in markets for staple foods looked reasonably favourable and seemed to augur for softening prices during 2022, even as sharply rising food prices in domestic markets in many developing countries continue to raise concerns about greater food insecurity. The escalation of the conflict is now putting markets into serious turmoil.