El Nino's onset may weaken India's summer monsoon, risking vital kharif crops like rice and maize, warns FAO. This threatens farmers' livelihoods and food security, especially in vulnerable regions, amplified by a warmer planet and global disruptions.
US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins testified that dependence on China for agricultural inputs poses an existential threat to national security and liberty, while defending a reduced $20.8 billion 2027 budget request amidst farmer pressures from tariffs, the Iran war, and supply disruptions.
A Swiss startup, VunaNexus, has developed a technology to transform human urine into a certified liquid fertilizer called Aurin. Initially seen as unconventional, the process gained traction due to soaring fertilizer prices and supply chain issues following the Russia-Ukraine war. The technology is being implemented in buildings across Europe and has roots in a pioneering project in South Africa.
Extreme heatwaves across Australia are decimating crops and threatening food security. Farmers like Anthony De leso are struggling with lost income and rising costs, while researchers like Owen Atkin warn of widespread crop damage and the need for urgent adaptation strategies, including genetic modification.
Record-breaking heatwaves in Australia are decimating crops and threatening food security. Farmers face rising input costs and lost income, while researchers warn of increasing extreme heat events throughout the year, necessitating urgent studies and adaptation strategies for growers.
The parasitic varroa mite, first detected in Queensland in March 2025, has caused an estimated 90% collapse in wild honey bee colonies and threatens managed hives. Beekeepers face significant financial and emotional strain, with potential impacts on food security due to reduced pollination services.
India's fertiliser supply chain is strained by the West Asia conflict disrupting shipping via the Strait of Hormuz. Combined with a below-normal monsoon forecast and El Niño conditions, this threatens crop output, food inflation, and India's economy, potentially widening the trade deficit and weakening the rupee.
Researcher Shi Yuanliang and his team have developed advanced slow-release fertilizer technology, significantly reducing farmers' labor and costs while boosting grain yields. This innovation has led to China's leadership in the global slow-release fertilizer market and the relocation of the International Fertilizer Science Center to China.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has launched a $10 billion facility to support member countries facing development impacts from the US-Israel war's effects on Iran. The aid will provide fast-disbursing budget support, finance critical imports, and offer liquidity.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has launched a $10 billion facility to support member countries dealing with the economic impacts of the US-Israel war on Iran, providing fast-disbursing budget support and financing for critical imports.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded the FAO Agricola Medal by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization for his contributions to sustainable agriculture, food security, and rural development, highlighting India's commitment to strengthening its agricultural sector.
G7 finance ministers and central bank governors met in Paris and agreed to urgently address the risk of Middle East tensions impacting food supplies. They noted rising fertilizer prices due to the Strait of Hormuz situation could decrease global food production.
Russia's deputy envoy to FAO, Dilyara Ravilova-Borovik, stated that the US-Israel conflict with Iran, leading to the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, will have a delayed negative impact on global food security due to fertilizer shortages.
China is using advanced technology, including materials developed for lunar missions, to combat desertification in Xinjiang. New projects aim to protect arable land from erosion and safeguard food security.
Iran's armed forces are prepared to retaliate after President Trump rejected Tehran's ceasefire proposal, escalating regional tensions. The dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil route, has already caused significant energy supply shocks and threatens global food security, with the UN warning of a potential humanitarian crisis.
Malaysia is resorting to cloud seeding to bring much-needed rain to the country’s “rice bowl” north, where a drought has delayed planting of the staple crop and raised supply fears. “This year ... has been affected by prolonged dry weather, low rainfall and reduced dam water levels,” said Malaysia’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Mohamad Sabu. The conditions mean farmers have missed two of the three usual planting phases for so-called “wet direct seeding” of rice, a technique that...
Even as “China shock 2.0” is roiling Western manufacturers, we must, it seems, brace for “China shock 3.0” – to the global food economy – as President Xi Jinping doubles down on the imperative that has obsessed Beijing for decades: food security. “China’s Food Future”, a consultation paper by Systemiq funded by the California-based Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, warns that China is poised to “reshape global agricultural commodity supply chains”. It suggests China is set to apply to...
Conflict in the Middle East is threatening the coming planting season, a UN official has warned, as countries already reeling from fertiliser shortages and surging costs face shocks to food security. The Strait of Hormuz, a major global chokepoint for fertilisers and other agricultural inputs as well as oil, has been under blockade since the start of joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February. Despite rising concerns over the impact of the conflict on global food production, China – supported...
A Co-operative Party policy report calls for expanding agricultural co-operatives in the UK to improve food security and reduce import reliance. The report highlights 526 existing co-ops generating £9bn income, with only 62% of UK food grown domestically. It cites Middle East conflict-driven fertiliser costs as a reason to build farmer resilience through collective resource pooling.
"Russian exports contribute to strengthening of food security of Oman through supplies of wheat and barley," Maxim Reshetnikov noted
Experts suggest leveraging the popularity of sports to raise public awareness about the climate and nature emergency, highlighting how environmental issues directly impact athletic activities and food security.
Darren Jones suggests cost of energy, food and flights will remain high after de-escalation and Hormuz strait reopensThe UK faces higher prices for food and fuel for at least eight months after the war in Iran ends, a minister has said. The closure of the strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane that carried a fifth of global oil and gas, has sent oil prices soaring since the US and Israeli attacks on Iran began in February. Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, said the conflict would probably continue to raise prices for energy, food and flights in the coming months as potential issues around energy supplies affect production, rather than lead to shortages on supermarket shelves. The UK government has urged motorists to fill up their cars as usual amid higher prices at the pumps and for air travellers not to change their plans over potential jet fuel shortages. Jones told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme: “You’re going to see prices go up a bit as a consequence of what Donald Trump has done in the Middle East. “That’s probably going to come online not just in the next few weeks, but the next few months. There’s going to be a long tail from this.” Asked how long higher prices might remain, Jones suggested it would be around eight months after the strait of Hormuz was unblocked and a de-escalation of the conflict had taken place. “I think our best guess is eight-plus months from the point of resolution that you’ll see economic impacts coming through the system,” he said. Donald Trump announced an indefinite extension of the US ceasefire with Iran last week that paused most of the fighting, but further efforts towards ending the conflict have been unsuccessful after the US president told his envoys not to travel to Pakistan for talks at the weekend. The UK government is stepping up planning for how to offset the impact, focusing on the live monitoring of stock levels and what plans are in place for addressing supply chain disruption. Jones said: “The government here in the UK, the work that I’m doing with the prime minister is looking at all of those things and saying, ‘What can we do within our power to help people to get through those difficult times?’” The government is also looking to secure stocks of carbon dioxide, which is used in the food industry and by breweries to make drinks fizzy, as well as for defence purposes and medical uses such as MRI scanning. Jones said he was seeking to ensure there was an adequate supply of beer for fans watching the men’s football World Cup which starts on 11 June. He said: “I raised this issue because if there is a problem with jet fuel on holidays and carbon dioxide on beer, the summer might be pretty depressing for people, but we’re doing everything we can to make sure that it’s not the case.” The Liberal Democrats have called for a bill to be included in the next king’s speech in May to put food security at the top of the government’s agenda. Continue reading...
It may not be the end of the world, but these Australians are finding creative ways to beat the cost-of-living crisis and improve their food security in troubled times.
At World Bank/IMF meetings, global financial leaders warned that risks dominate as the Gulf conflict threatens food security. With the Strait of Hormuz closure disrupting energy trade, food shortages and famine are now likely for millions in vulnerable African and Asian countries after only seven weeks, writes the author.
