Food insecurity has been reported in Haiti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Togo and Southwest Asia. COVID-19, political instability, conflict, drought and other consequences of climate change are increasing food shortages. The war in Ukraine is worsening an already desperate situation. A crucial portion of the world’s wheat is trapped in Russia and Ukraine because of the war, while an even larger portion of the world’s fertilizers is stuck in Russia and Belarus. The result is that global food and fertilizer prices are soaring—which might push already-hungry families to the brink of starvation. In March 2022, the United Nations reported the war’s impact on the global food market alone could cause an additional 7.6 million to 13.1 million people to go hungry.
