Global Report on Food Crises 2021: Building resilience can prevent crisis and conflict

BY SWATI MALHOTRA AND ALEXANDRIA RICHTER

More than 155 million people experienced acute food insecurity at crisis level or worse around the world in 2020, an increase of 20 million from 2019 and a five-year high, as the COVID-19 pandemic compounded economic shocks, conflicts, and climate and severe weather impacts, estimates the 2021 Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC).

In a mutual call for enhanced resilience, IFPRI, the Food Security Information Network (FSIN), FAO North America, the World Food Programme (WFP) USA and the IFPRI-led Food Security Portal co-organized a policy seminar on June 17 to discuss the report’s implications. Moderated by Rob Vos, Director of IFPRI’s Markets, Trade and Institutions Division, the session focused on the experiences and strategies to help build food system resilience and prevent conflict at the same time.