In an extended interview with the SDG2 Advocacy Hub, David Laborde, a senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute discussed trends for 2023 as it relates to the global food crisis. Laborde identifies areas for both optimism and pessimism in 2023 and calls for solidarity, leadership, and systems reform to address the global food crisis. “By the end of 2022, the
Encouraging agripreneurship—entrepreneurial activity in agriculture—is crucial to addressing unemployment and underemployment among young people in developing and emerging economies around the world. Currently more than 223 million people fall into those categories, and they need sustained and targeted support. In a new brief, produced jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Investment Centre and IFPRI, we outline
Food early warning systems can stave off famines (SciDev.Net) As reliable sources of quality food diminish and record numbers of people are driven to hunger due to conflicts, climate change and economic downturns, feeding the global population of eight billion poses a major challenge that demands better food early warning information systems. In the past decade, several global initiatives have
Globalized supply chain brings more-turbulent food prices (Wall Street Journal) The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), in an analysis of food price inflation, states that for decades globalization has increased the variety and reduced the cost of food. Now the pandemic, war in Ukraine and other global disruptions have shown how that complex supply chain can also result in more turbulent prices. Among the
The Dhaka Tribune published a review and comments from the Bangladesh roundtable, “Food Security for Sustainable Development,” speakers agreed, the double shocks of the Covid pandemic and the Ukraine crisis have drastically increased food prices, and immediate policy interventions are needed to keep food items affordable for people of lower income brackets. One speaker said, Bangladesh needs to prioritize its range of imported
Vilsack highlights USDA’s climate initiatives and investments at COP27 (Farmers Advance) Farmers’ Advance published an article on USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack’s COP27 comments. Vilsack highlighted the department’s initiatives and investments in climate-smart agriculture and forestry, noting that global food security depends upon the ability of farmers and producers worldwide to increase their productivity while strengthening their climate resilience and minimizing their climate impacts.
Precision agriculture technology and digital services are rapidly changing food systems around the world. Mobile phones allow once-isolated communities to connect to new information networks and markets. Such technologies can have large benefits in countries where agriculture employs the bulk of the workforce and access to finance is still limited. Women are key players in the production of food and
The Yemen conflict, underway since early 2015, has led to an ongoing, unprecedented humanitarian emergency. Food needs far exceed current consumption levels, with 3.5 million pregnant or breastfeeding women and children under 5 suffering from acute malnutrition and up to 19 million people affected by food insecurity in 2022. Since February, meanwhile, the Russia-Ukraine war has disrupted global supplies of grains