War And Weather Threaten New Food Crisis
The world is approaching another surge in food prices as the wars in Iran and Ukraine, disrupted energy and fertilizer supplies, and a potentially extreme El Niño combine to threaten harvests and push millions more people toward hunger.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization warned that higher oil prices, reduced fertilizer supplies from the Gulf, diesel shortages and severe weather are steadily feeding into the cost of producing and moving food. Prices have remained comparatively stable through much of 2026, but the agency expects pressure to intensify by year-end and worsen in 2027.
The World Food Programme separately said a very strong El Niño could push another 49 million people into acute food insecurity, especially across Southern Africa, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. The danger is magnified by war, shrinking aid budgets and climate shocks that leave poor countries with little protection from even modest increases in food and fuel costs.
