Since 2020, the number of hungry people worldwide has surged by 150 million, reaching 828 million, equivalent to one person dying from food shortages every 10 seconds. According to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the global grain inventory to consumption ratio fell to 26.7% in 2023, hitting a 30-year low. Wheat prices surged 136% compared to pre pandemic levels, and 33 countries worldwide are facing "catastrophic food insecurity".

Climate, War, and Capital

The Russia-Ukraine conflict led to the blockade of the Black Sea ports, the detention of 4.5 million tons of grain in Odessa, and the interruption of 30% of wheat supply in 48 African countries; In 2022, floods in Pakistan will inundate 4 million hectares of farmland, reducing cotton production by 50% and causing a 300% surge in raw material prices for the textile industry in South Asia; The aggressive interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve has led to the depletion of foreign exchange reserves for grain imports such as Egypt, causing domestic bread prices to double within three months. An underground trading market of "blood for food" has emerged on the streets of Cairo.

Malnutrition threatens life

The Horn of Africa has experienced its worst drought in 40 years, with an acute malnutrition rate of 57% among children under 5 years old in Garowe refugee camp in Somalia. Mothers use clay mixed with cassava flour to make "anti hunger biscuits". Under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, 98% of the population is facing a food crisis, forcing women in Kandahar to sell their hair every two weeks in exchange for 5 kilograms of flour. The "Golden Triangle of Food" in South America has undergone a transformation - Argentina's soybean production has decreased by 40% due to drought, Brazil's biodiesel policy has consumed 60% of the country's soybean oil inventory, and Peru's anchovy fishing volume has plummeted, causing global fishmeal prices to break historical highs.

The vicious cycle of supply chain

The 200% surge in fertilizer prices has forced Indian farmers to switch to cow manure compost, resulting in an 18% decrease in rice yield per mu; Thailand's ban on sugar exports has led to a halt in Southeast Asia's beverage manufacturing industry, while Malaysia's palm oil export restrictions have caused a 25% increase in global food processing costs. The proportion of fuel costs for cargo planes of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has increased from 19% to 47%, reducing food air transport in South Sudan by 60%. The number of vicious incidents of starving people trampling to death in the fight for relief food has surged.

The effectiveness of food aid

The G7 promised to provide $4.5 billion in emergency food aid, but the actual disbursement was less than $1.2 billion, and 78% of them bundled purchases of food products from donor countries' food enterprises. Multinational grain traders ABCD (ADM, Bunge, Cargill, Louis Dreyfus) control 75% of global grain trade, with a total profit of over $57 billion in the first half of 2023, reaching a historic high. The FAO Food Outlook warns that biofuel policies are consuming 10% of global grain production, with 42% of US corn fields dedicated to ethanol production, equivalent to the total annual grain consumption in sub Saharan Africa.

The number of hungry people continues to increase

Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, stated that "humanity is facing a dual dilemma of physical food scarcity and technological distribution failure for the first time." If current trends continue, the global number of hungry people will exceed 1 billion by 2030, equivalent to a modern replica of the medieval Black Death.