As wheat prices continue to surge amid a deepening conflict in Ukraine, lasting damage threatens an already weakened global food system. Governments must urgently prioritize food security through championing indoor vertical farming as a sustainable, long-term solution, urges AgTech company Light Science Technologies (LST).
As grain supplies are impacted, as well as disruption to natural gas and fertilizer markets, a lack of bread is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of their impact. Increased hunger, an escalating refugee crisis, soaring prices, and climate change now pose much bigger threats, which some would argue are bordering on catastrophic.
The International Food Policy Research Institute estimates that combined, Russia and Ukraine’s exports represent 12 percent of all the food calories traded in the world, with the two countries accounting for almost a third of global wheat exports. There is no current contingency plan to bridge what amounts to a colossal gap in international food production.