When the United Nation’s World Food Programme sets records, it does not bode well for the world. Since 2020, when the programme assisted 116 million people, each year has been record-breaking. This year it will assist over 150 million people. Acute hunger is driven by three things: conflicts, climatic shocks and the dramatic economic and social fallout from the Covid pandemic. These are exacerbated by structural weaknesses, such as inequalities and a glaring lack of social safety nets, which make […]

That’s prompted governments across Europe, Africa and the Middle East to scramble for a new source of nutrition for millions of people. To make matters worse, many of the countries who could help fill those voids — including Hungary, Argentina and Turkey — have placed restrictions on exports of key food products, arguing they need to keep enough supply for their own populations. China has also signaled it will likely hold back on rice exports, another major source of global […]

Statement by Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD Rome, 3 March 2022 — At IFAD we are following the situation in Ukraine with a heavy heart. We deplore the loss of life and displacement of populations, and we join the call of the UN Secretary General to end military operations, restore peace and protect human rights. Conflict and hunger are closely intertwined — when one escalates, the other usually follows. As in any crisis, it is the poorest and most […]