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1108. How to Deal with Risks of Global Food Systems

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1108. How to Deal with Risks of Global Food Systems

 

Today’s food systems are fraught with risks and uncertainties. Below is an excerpt from a blog published last February. 

Two years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, record-high global food prices in 2022 have reminded the international community that food production depends on global supplies of fuel and fertilizer, and that supply chain disruptions due to geopolitical conflicts can directly lead to food security risks. This has triggered a renewed awareness in the international community that food production relies on these global supplies, further emphasizing the potential risks involved.

While the price of chemical fertilizers made from natural gas has been on the rise since around 2021, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has heightened concerns about supply chain disruptions, exposing food systems — based on the relationship between fuel, fertilizer, and food — to increased risk. The combination of these factors has pushed the global food, energy, and fertilizer price index to all-time highs in the March-May 2022 period.

Although global food prices have calmed since the July 2022 Black Sea Grains Agreement brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, the time lag will be reflected in food price inflation around the world, especially in food-importing countries that are in a period of currency depreciation, increasing food security vulnerability. Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grains Agreement last July, and since last October, unrest in the Red Sea region triggered by conflict in the Middle East has become a new flashpoint for supply chain disruptions.

Meanwhile, risks arising from the limits of the global system are also influencing food price trends. In July last year, the United Nations Secretary-General described the coming of the era of global boiling, but extreme weather events caused by climate change not only have a direct impact on food production, but the food system itself, which depends on fuel and fertilizers, also contributes to climate change and biodiversity loss.

We need international cooperation to address food security uncertainties and holistic action through scientific and technological innovation and behavior change to build a resilient and sustainable food system.
 

A special seminar scheduled next Tuesday, October 8, will offer participants an opportunity to engage with Dr. Maximo Torero, Chief Economist of FAO, in strategic international cooperation discussions to enhance global food security and nutrition as well as the resilience of food systems.

 

【Title】 Special Seminar with Dr. Máximo Torero, Chief Economist, FAO – Priority Policy and Investment Options for Global Food Security and Nutrition and Resilient Food Systems
【Organizers】JIRCAS, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF)
【Target Audience】Policy makers, development partners, researchers, students, media 
【Format/Mode】150+ on-site participants (The event will be recorded.)
【Date, Venue, Language】
Date: Tuesday, October 8, 2024, 14:00-16:00
Venue: Hibiya Mitsui Conference Hall Rooms 1 & 2, 8F Tokyo Midtown Hibiya
Language: English/Japanese: Simultaneous translation
【Registration】
(Opens at 9am, September 12)
Japanese:https://www.jircas.go.jp/ja/event/2024/e20241008
English:https://www.jircas.go.jp/en/event/2024/e20241008
(deadline: October 4, 2024, 17:00)

 


Contributor: IIYAMA Miyuki (Information Program)
 

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