Global Food Security and the Russia-Ukraine Conflict
BEIJING, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 800 million individuals face the risk of starvation, due to the impact of the Russia-Ukrainian conflict on food supply, if the global community does not take urgent measures to address the situation.
Several international relations, and food security experts, noted that food shortages further stress a global community, already facing an existential crisis, therefore, it is imperative to set politics aside, and focus on the common issues affecting Humanity at CGTN Think Tank's forum.
Even though the world wasn't "in a state of food security before the current conflict", with as much "as a billion people malnourished", Marco Lambertini, WWF International's Director General, reckons that the conflict in Ukraine, has raised the stakes to a critical level, since about 50 countries are dependent on Russian and Ukrainian agriculture exports.
Marcia Merry Baker, Agriculture Editor, Editorial Board of EIR News Service, noted an "international mobilization for increased food supply" be put in place to mitigate the crisis.
Professor Zhang Chuanhong, Associate Professor at China Agricultural University, remarked that the sanctions on Russian oil companies have raised prices which have in turn affected Urea supply, a critical element in manufacturing fertilizers.
While the outlook remains bleak if emergency action is not taken, the current crisis also provides an opportunity for the global community to develop and build more robust and resilient systems that can withstand future shocks, while launching emergency measures that will address the immediate threats.
For Marcia, "sovereign governments need to override trans-national corporations" that enjoy a monopoly on agriculture.
Matteo Marchisio, IFAD representative to China, DPRK and ROK, suggested the "substitution of oil palm and soy bean for sunflower oil", which exports from Ukraine have been significantly affected by the crisis.
To truly become resilient, the global community needs to develop basic Infrastructure and enhance emergency mobilization, according to the experts.
In Helga La Rouche's opinion, China's approach to lifting significant portions of its population from poverty offers a blueprint for other developing countries to emulate, and she urged developing countries to seek out this means in a bid to achieve food security.
The experts called for urgent action and the implementation of emergency measures, since standing aside while about a billion people starve, reflects poorly on the global community's moral character.
The full version of the forum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpmFLxwPjTA
Contact cgtnthinktank@cgtn.com for more.
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