Fragile global food system is 'ill prepared'
The study from Economist Impact, supported by Corteva Agriscience, found that insufficient investment and increasing volatility continue to drive the deterioration of the global food environment.
It said that this year’s skyrocketing food prices and rising global hunger were not just the product of conflict and extreme weather but are also the reflection of a worrying trend of “declining resilience” in the food system.
Structural issues
Big gains were made in food security from 2012 to 2015, with overall GFSI scores jumping by 6%. However, structural issues and significant risks in the global food system have meant that growth has slowed, with the trend in overall food security reversed.
This stalled progress reflects volatility in agricultural production, weak investment in agricultural research and development (R&D), scarcity of natural resources, rising inequality, and trade and supply-chain volatility, the study revealed.
The GFSI showed that governments were not prepared for the inevitable increase in extreme weather events like this summer’s heatwaves across Europe and North America and devastating flooding in Pakistan.
Risks
It said that water management techniques and existing irrigation systems that can help manage the effects of climate change are lacking globally.
“The 2022 Global Food Security Index highlights the crucial impact of structural issues and risks to food security such as volatility in agricultural production, trade and supply-chain disruption, scarcity of natural resources, and increasing economic inequality,” says Pratima Singh, Principal, Policy and Insights at Economist Impact. “Recent shocks, like the Ukraine conflict and high food prices, are stressing an already fragile global food system.”
Tim Glenn, executive vice president, Seed Business Unit, Corteva Agriscience added: “There is an urgent action to renew our collective commitment to collaboration and improving access to innovation to combat food insecurity.”
The GFSI evaluates and ranks 113 countries on 68 indicators, including the affordability, availability and quality of their food supply, as well as sustainability and adaptation.
