Supply chain issues, climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine are among the key factors that have “caused an unprecedented shock to the global food system” according to a group of influential global institutions.

The heads of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO); International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Bank Group; World Food Programme (WFP); and World Trade Organisation (WTO) today (Wednesday, February 8) issued a joint statement calling for “urgent action” to address the global crisis on food and nutrition security.

The group highlighted the impact of “financial tightening” because of interest rate rises and record-high food inflation particularly on the most vulnerable.

According to the WFP, 349 million people across 79 countries are currently “acutely food insecure”.

“The prevalence of undernourishment is also on the rise, following three years of deterioration. This situation is expected to worsen, with global food supplies projected to drop to a three-year low in 2022/2023.

“The need is especially dire in 24 countries that FAO and WFP have identified as hunger hotspots, of which 16 are in Africa,” the joint statement highlighted.

The group also stressed in its joint statement that “fertiliser affordability is also “the lowest since the 2007/2008 food crisis”.

According to the six global institutions which signed the joint statement this is leading to lower production and has had the greatest impact on smaller farmers.

“For example, the reduction in 2022 of the production of rice, for which Africa is the largest importer in the world, coupled with prospects of lower stocks, is of grave concern,” they added.

Food security

In the joint statement the six global institutions called for urgent action to prevent a worsening of the “nutrition security crisis” starting with rescuing “hunger spots”.

They warned that both the WFP and FAO need funds to support the most vulnerable immediately and said that countries should avoid policies should as export restrictions which can impede access for poor consumers in low-income countries.

“Global food security can be strengthened if governments support both food producers and consumers in a smart and targeted manner, such as by strengthening the provision of public goods in ways that improve farm productivity sustainably,” the group stressed.

The six signatories to the joint statement have also advocated that countries “should reform and repurpose general universal subsidies” towards temporary, better targeted programs for security and sustainable food systems.

Separately the heads of the FAO, IMF, World Bank, WFP and WTO have also sympathised with the people of Turkey and Syria following the recent earthquakes and said their organisations are closely monitoring the situation, “assessing the magnitude of the disaster, and working to mobilise necessary support”.