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Our Global Food System Was Already in Crisis. Russia’s War Will Make It Worse

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Our Global Food System Was Already in Crisis. Russia’s War Will Make It Worse

The Global South will suffer the most as colonial legacies, climate change, and capitalism continue to plunge millions into hunger.

Boston Review,

5 min read
3 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

War in Ukraine is exacerbating a global food crisis brought on by climate change and capitalism.

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Eye Opening
  • Visionary
  • Hot Topic

Recommendation

In 2021, Ukraine and Russia grew approximately 30% of the world’s wheat. Since the Russian invasion in 2022, a surge in wheat prices has spelled trouble for food affordability, particularly in the developing economies. And as history demonstrates, high prices and food shortages are triggers for political and economic instability. Professor Raj Patel examines the current state of the world’s food resources, affected by politics, economic inequality and climate change. Executives and investors will find this a thought-provoking analysis of an unfolding disaster.

Summary

The Russia–Ukraine conflict is hiking the price of wheat, which disproportionately harms developing economies.

Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has meant massive interruptions in global wheat supplies and an 8.5% jump in wheat prices to their highest level on record, $12.94 a bushel. Grain supplies are not sufficient elsewhere to bring the market into equilibrium, and forecasters estimate prices will continue to rise through to 2027. Higher food costs ultimately lead to reduced food consumption: An additional 13.1 million people, mostly in developing countries, will likely suffer malnourishment. This figure is just part of a global catastrophe that has 830 million individuals consuming 2,100 or fewer calories ...

About the Author

Raj Patel, an author and filmmaker, is a professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.

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