Middle East escalation raises global food insecurity ^{CEFR B2}

The recent escalation in the Middle East has become a global concern because the US–Iran war and related disruptions are raising oil prices and restricting shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Experts say those disruptions hit global food systems in multiple ways: higher transport and fuel costs, and limits on fertilizer flows. Closure of the Hormuz route matters for fertiliser trade since roughly a third of shipped fertiliser exports pass through it.

At a press briefing on Friday (17 April) organised by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and IPES‑Food, speakers warned the situation will worsen hunger and lift food prices. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the UN World Food Programme have all issued warnings. Olivier De Schutter noted there are already 673 million hungry people in Africa and suggested that rising prices could add perhaps 45 million more.

Experts urged an accelerated transition to agroecology to build resilience in low‑income countries. Agroecology means using organic practices such as crop rotations, compost, manure and plants that fix atmospheric nitrogen; examples named were chickpeas, beans, lentils, pulses and feed crops like alfalfa or clover. Proposed changes include producing more food locally to meet local consumption, reducing processing and packaging, and developing local biofertilisers from organic waste. The Philippines was cited for using black soldier fly larvae to make biofertilisers. De Schutter criticised the African Union’s Africa Fertiliser and Soil Health Action Plan 2024‑2034 for its limited focus on biofertilisers.

Speakers also highlighted why many countries are vulnerable: they import food and fuel and depend on fertiliser from the Gulf. Barnaby Pace warned that Sub‑Saharan Africa and Asia rely heavily on those imports and gave a longer context: this is the third major fertiliser supply shock in six years, after COVID‑19 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. De Schutter gave country figures showing high dependence on Gulf imports (Malawi 52 per cent, Uganda 27 per cent and Tanzania 31 per cent). Barriers to rapid change include large chemical fertiliser subsidies in South Asia — Swathi Seshadri said Indian subsidies are expected to reach US$12.7 billion this year, up from US$10.9 billion — and concentrated corporate control: Fadhel Kaboub warned that four corporations control about 70 per cent of the global grain market and influence fertiliser and logistics, which complicates efforts to move away from chemical fertilisers and fossil fuels.