Contributing factors to the looming food crisis in sub-Saharan Africa: Opportunities for policy insight

The food price crisis of 2007–2008 and the recent resurgence of food prices have focused increasing attention on the causes and consequences of food price volatility in international food markets and the developing world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Agricultural Price Index was 34% higher as of 30 June 2022, compared to January 2021. This paper reviews increasing food crisis in Africa in the wake of climate change, COVID-19, and the Russia–Ukraine war and the implications on Africa's food security stability. Climate change is affecting the fundamental basis of agriculture through changes in temperature, rainfall, and weather, and by intensifying the occurrences of floods, droughts, and heat stress. COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the production and supply chains, while the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war continues to disrupt the global food market and food prices. SSA is susceptible to the effects of this war, and this has already resulted in high demand for food commodities and increased food prices. The study calls for the need for the international community to establish a strategic food reserve to face food crises triggered by armed conflicts or climate-induced disasters and pandemics. This mechanism may facilitate reactive interventions that help to contain the human security implications of food crises, thus fostering peace. Solutions also lie in implementing programs and policies informing the monitoring of weather shocks and advancing supporting to those impacted. Additionally, the governments of SSAs should embrace domestic production of farm inputs such as fertilizer to avoid overdependence on imports which are susceptible to wars and conflict. © 2023 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.

The Philippines in 2022: The Power of Dynastic Politics

In 2022, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of the late dictator, won a landslide victory in the presidential election after campaigning largely on nostalgia for the Philippines' authoritarian past and perceived former greatness. The country was finally able to reopen from COVID-19 lockdowns after enduring a surge in the Omicron variant in the earlier months of the year. Global food and energy inflation, caused by excessive fiscal spending and monetary easing adopted during the pandemic, in addition to the aftershock of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has led to an unprecedented food crisis in the Philippines that has been particularly difficult for the poor. In terms of foreign policy, Marcos Jr.'s arrival marked a return to more conventional diplomatic interactions with Washington at a time of increasing tension between the United States and China.

Caught off guard and beaten: The Ukraine war and food security in the Middle East.

The Ukraine war has led to a severe global food crisis due to complex supply disruptions and price increases of agricultural inputs. Countries of the Middle East have been directly affected because of their high dependence on food imports from Russia and Ukraine. Furthermore, this food crisis comes at times of high baseline vulnerability due to the compound impacts of COVID-19, repeated food shocks, and weakened states due to political-economic difficulties. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the food-related vulnerability of Middle Eastern countries in the wake of the Ukraine war. It contextualizes the varying impacts of this crisis in the region, and highlights country-level response strategies. The analysis shows a concerning and deepened crisis in the case of highly exposed and politically fragile countries with weakened food sectors; e.g., Lebanon, Sudan, and Yemen. Political-economic instabilities, limited domestic agriculture, and the lack of reliable grain reserves have aggravated the current food crisis in some countries. At the same time, indigenous short-term responses related to regional aid and cooperation have emerged, particularly in the Gulf countries, which have witnessed soaring revenues from higher energy prices. Alongside more regional frameworks for collaboration on food security, future action to mitigate such food crises should include the strengthening of local sustainable agriculture, storage capacities, and grain procurement strategies from international suppliers.

DEVELOPING TURKEY'S STRATEGIES AGAINST THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

Although providing people's access to basic nutrients has always been important, increasing population, rapid migration from villages to cities, widening the gap in income distribution and increasing commodity costs have been effective in the emergence of the food crisis in the world. However, in recent years, factors such as climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic, the increase in fuel costs and the war between Ukraine and Russia have caused significant increases in food prices and increased acute food insecurity. According to the UN's "Global Food Crisis Report", it was pointed out that 139 million people in 24 countries/regions experienced acute food insecurity due to conflicts, more than 23 million people in 8 countries/regions due to extreme weather conditions, and more than 30 million people in 24 countries/regions due to economic shocks. The Food Price Index is 158.50 in April 2022 calculated by FAO. Inthe same period, Turkey's Food Price Index was calculated as 375. Also, annual food inflation is seen that it is 94.65% in Turkey. In the same period, the average food inflation in the world is 14.50%. The aim of the study is to determine the reflections of the effects of the global food crisis in Turkey, and to develop strategies to eliminate the negative effects of the food crisis in Turkey. In the study, the strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the Turkish agricultural sector were determined by SWOT analysis and suggestions were developed to prevent Turkey from being affected by the global food crisis. In the study, it was concluded that the Turkish agricultural sector has the potential for selfsufficiency and that it will be affected by the global food crisis at the lowest level, with a macro-level optimization study in agricultural production and the elimination of structural problems in the economy. [ FROM AUTHOR]

The Role of Alternative Crops in an Upcoming Global Food Crisis: A Concise Review.

Achieving Food Security (FS) is perhaps our most challenging aspiration. Despite our best efforts, millions of people around the globe are malnourished or live with hunger. The state of the geo-political scene, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, have recently brought forth fears of a Global Food Crisis (GFC). Here, we present the factors that threaten FS and could trigger a GFC, examine the potential of alternative crops (ACs) as a measure against an upcoming GFC, and highlight the key aspects of the ACs introduction process in new regions. ACs could enhance FS, yet their success is premised on the adoption of sustainable practices and the implementation of food strategies that aim to promote healthy consumer behaviours.

Ukraine's triple emergency: Food crisis amid conflicts and COVID-19 pandemic.

Globally, both Russia and Ukraine play a key role in food production. Both countries are known for their meticulous positions in producing and exporting wheat, maize, sunflower seed oil, and cotton seed oil. Although the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been going on for more than 5 years, the recent invasion of Russia in Ukraine has endangered food security in Ukraine during the COVID-19 pandemic. As COVID-19 cripples the healthcare infrastructure of Ukraine, food insecurity challenges the civilian population to migration. As the conflict intensitifes, damages to properties, loss of lives, rise of infectious diseases, incremental rise in energy prices, and fuel consumption are some of the possible consequences. This commentary aims to highlight the different ways in which access to food has been endangered, the implications that food crisis has on the world, and thus provide key recommendations on what needs to be addressed to mitigate the rising risks of the food crisis in the world.

The linkage between international dairy commodity prices and volatility: a panel-GARCH analysis

Purpose The study's purpose is to investigate the price volatility of four dairy commodities (skim milk powder [SMP], whole milk powder [WMP], butter and cheddar cheese) in the three most significant regional markets (EU, Oceania and US) in the international dairy market. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a panel-Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedastic (panel-GARCH) modeling technique and data from January 12, 2001, to April 28, 2017. Findings Conditional volatility was higher during subperiods 2007-2010 and 2014-2016 when conditional cross-correlations between prices had the lowest values. In some cases, they were negative (i.e. between the EU and the USA and between Oceania and the USA for both butter and cheese). Interdependence across the three dairy markets, especially for SMP and WMP markets and for the butter market between EU and Oceania is also strongly evidenced. Interdependence is responsible for the spillover of price shocks across the three regions. Research limitations/implications The data set used should be extended to cover the COVID-19 pandemic period. Originality/value This is the first study to use panel-GARCH to examine international dairy prices and volatility linkages, where previous studies mainly used multivariate GARCH models. Panel-GARCH allows a high-dimensional data series (i.e. 12 dairy prices) and generates potential efficiency gains in estimating conditional variances and covariances by incorporating information about heterogeneity across markets and considering their interdependence.

Improving the safety and security of fruits and vegetables during COVID-19 pandemic with postharvest handling.

The COVID-19 pandemic has damaged the world's economy during 2020-2021, reduced the purchasing power of households, partially restricted international movements and trade (including food products) and damaged horticultural production. This resulted in uncertainty in the food business and caused food supply shocks. According to some scientists, business people, and politicians, this situation is a forerunner and warning for humanity to change its lifestyle by focusing on sustainable measures to prevent natural ecosystems damage. In line with this, the present review article focused on the significant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on horticultural production and some prevention measures. It has been scientifically confirmed that the postharvest losses of fruits and vegetables reach around 10-15% in developed countries and about 20-40% in developing countries, higher in some specific crops. It is believed that reducing these losses can help the world fight food supply shocks during the COVID-19 pandemic and customary conditions to reduce the pressure on natural resources. Therefore, the present paper aimed to highlight some critical handling practices against food supply shocks.

Yemen's triple emergency: Food crisis amid a civil war and COVID-19 pandemic.

Yemen has been termed as the world's worst humanitarian crisis by the United Nations. About 20.1 million (more than 50% of population) Yemenis are facing hunger and 10 million are severely food insecure according to reports by the World Food Programme. With the spread of COVID-19, the situation in Yemen has worsened and humanitarian aid from other countries has become the basis of life for hundreds of thousands of Yemenis after the threat of famine. Yemen is practically one of the poorest countries in the world. It has structural vulnerabilities that have developed over a protracted period of conflict and poor governance and more than 50% live in starving, they suffer for getting one meal a day. To prevent a total collapse of Yemen's food crises, the government and the international community should act now more decisively.