Global fertilizer trade 2021-2023: What happened after war-related price spikes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 sent a shock through global fertilizer markets. All agricultural trade in the region was disrupted for a time, and a number of countries imposed economic sanctions on major fertilizer producers Russia and its ally Belarus (the latter already targeted pre-invasion by European Union fertilizer export sanctions). Prices spiked, resulting in fears of widespread impacts on agricultural production. Since then, fertilizer prices have fallen from those initial highs and n ..read more

FAO Food Price Index Rose Slightly in March After seven months of declines, the FAO Food Price Index rose slightly in March due to increased vegetable oil, dairy, and meat prices. The Index remained 7.7 percent below its March 2023 levels. sara.gustafson Fri, 04/05/2024 - 12:03 ..read more

The war in Ukraine continues to undermine the food security of millions The war in Ukraine continues to disrupt the country’s agrifood sector, posing an ongoing threat to food security. Damage to critical infrastructure is hindering agricultural activity and the transportation of essential food to local markets and to export destinations. This situation, together with destroyed livelihoods and high inflation, is hampering access to food for millions of Ukrainians. More than 7 million Ukrainians face acute food insecurity sara.gustafson Thu, 04/04/2024 - 15:48 ∙ Source: IFPRI.org ..read more

Reforming agricultural policies to sustainably transform food systems: CGIAR policy seminar With global food systems facing various stresses—from the Russia Ukraine war to climate change—making them more resilient, health-promoting, and sustainable is more urgent than ever. A key tool in such a transformation is reforming agricultural policies and repurposing agricultural support. This is a major challenge, requiring bold action through concerted internal coordination and national-level policy reform. sara.gustafson Thu, 03/28/2024 - 11:19 ∙ Source: IFPRI.org ..read more

Who’s afraid of high fertilizer prices? During 2021 and 2022, global food and fertilizer prices spiked due to several overlapping factors. Demand rose as the world economy emerged from the COVID-19 recession; global supply chains suffered major disruptions associated with the uneven recovery; and the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine—both key food and fertilizer producers—generated yet another shock. sara.gustafson Thu, 03/21/2024 - 16:30 ∙ Source: IFPRI.org ..read more

Famine in Gaza Is it too late to save Gaza’s population from famine? The latest assessment of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) global partnership suggests this is imminent for at least half the population of 2.2 million. sara.gustafson Tue, 03/19/2024 - 07:17 ∙ Source: IFPRI.org ..read more

Commodity Prices Continue to Fall in February The FAO Food Price Index continued its decline in February, falling marginally due to declines in cereal and vegetable oil prices. The February Index was down 10.5 percent from its 2023 level. sara.gustafson Fri, 03/08/2024 - 09:42 ..read more

The path forward on global food system transformation Every year, global food systems produce, process, transport, and market the food and agricultural products on which the world relies. However, these same global food systems also play a big role in—and face pressures from—climate impacts, environmental damage, food insecurity and malnutrition, public health problems, and food loss and waste. To tackle these challenges, we must urgently transform food systems. True food system transformation will have to go beyond the agricultural policy reforms enacted during the past 50 years. sara.gusta ..read more

Ukraine and global agricultural markets two years later Two years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the war continues to disrupt agricultural production and trade in Ukraine—one of the world's largest agricultural exporters—and poses an ongoing threat to global food security. Yet global commodity markets have adjusted to these disruptions, in part to due to increased exports by other suppliers, including Russia, easing the initial shock. Brice.Tchinde Wed, 02/28/2024 - 07:27 ∙ Source: IFPRI.org ..read more

Food security trends in 2024 and beyond In 2024 food security is likely to remain one of the critical challenges for the world to face. The World Bank has therefore included food and nutrition security among the eight global challenges to address at scale, and has mobilized $45 billion in resources to tackle issues and protect livelihoods worldwide — surpassing its initial projected commitment of $30 billion announced  in May 2022.  sara.gustafson Mon, 02/19/2024 - 13:52 ∙ Source: World Bank: Agriculture & Food ..read more