At the moment the world is experiencing severe food insecurity more so because of cases of extreme weather conditions which are as a result of climate change, continue to cause great strain on the growth of crops in several parts of the world. Disastrously dry months for African nations, hopeless floods for Asian countries and scorching record heat for the European and North American nations have left the food supply chain in a critical state resulting to high prices which in turn has led to increased food insecurity among the populations.

In sub-Saharan Africa the serious problem of lack of fresh water has led to drying up of crops and livestock and made several countries almost famine stricken. The three countries in East Africa Region particularly Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia are in a very severe and the worse drought situation in the last forty years that affect more than twenty million people. It is worst in Somalia where the UN has said that famine is possible in several sectors if something is not done.

In South Asia however, monsoon rains are heavier than usual and have led to flooding, which ravaged most of the agricultural land. And in Bangladesh and eastern India, rice has been badly affected – or indeed destroyed – and many agree with the experts’ view that there will be a big shortfall in this vital crop. It was hit by a catastrophic flood last year and now the country is facing similar problems in its agriculture sector again.

This climate-induced agricultural crisis has not spared Europe and North America. Usually, plants and crops love the heat but record-breaking high temperatures and forest fires damaging olive trees in Spain and Italy and grapes in Greece lead to losses in olive oil, wine and fruits. In North America, the breadbasket of the USA and Canada has had a long dry season which has negatively impacted yields in the key crops of wheat, corn and soybeans.

These cumulative impacts of severe weathers htttu are resoundfing through global food chains >> The January rise has made the FAO Food Price Index, which focuses on changes of monthly average price for international and domestic food commodity, to touch its highest in ten months. We have seen that prices of staple foods such as grains, vegetable oils and dairy products have been most affected and this has implied further negative implications for the low income developing countries and other vulnerable groups globally.

This has lead to the increasing international and humanitarian organization pressure to intervention. In its intimation, WFP has stated that it has launched emergency appeals for several of the affected countries pointing out that millions of people could starve to death if funds are not raised. David Beasley, the WFP Executive Director said that the world is on the brink of a hunger crisis due to conflict, climate, change and COVID-19. The world is on the brink of unparalleled disaster and people require doing something in order to safe current world.

National leaders are seeking to react to the phenomenon in one way or another. Most countries have recently introduced restrictions on the export of essential food products to guarantee food supply in the home country a measure that has been advised economists could spur further price swings globally. Speaking of the European Union, the public pressure to rethink agricultural measures and sustain its investment in climate-compatible agriculture is rising.

The crisis has also brought back issues such as the sustainability of the food system to the global arena again. The critics have said that with the current model based on industrial agriculture and long food supply chains it makes it easy for the climate shocks to influence it. It has been seen that there has been a growing demand for developing and improving local, diversified and less vulnerable food systems.

Sustaining and advancing technological or innovative aspects of agriculture are being considered anew as one possible answer to the crisis. Ventures in crops that can withstand dry spells, smart farming inventions, and vertical farming have been on the rise in the past several months. But some of the critiques and sources explain that technology is only one part of the solution, and other changes in the wider system need to occur to solve the problems of food insecurity.

Hunger and malnutrition are not the only things born out of the food crisis. Currently, there is an increase in political instability and social unrest within the countries due to the high prices of foods, and scarcity of foods. From previous reports, conspicuous food shortages have been pivotal in sparking deep political changes, which makes the current situation worse.

As the global heads of state gear for the United Nations Food Systems Summit, then the world food emergency should seize the spotlight. It is increasingly being understood that combating hunger is now impossible without addressing climate change and poverty. The last time was in 2015: now the top meeting is seen as the chance to set a new world’s trend as to how to make food systems better – and more sustainable – worldwide.

Unfolded food crisis is a live example of the interconnection of problems and the requirement of concerted international efforts. Each year, climate change becomes worse, and extreme climate conditions negatively impact crop production and other agricultural products worldwide. The way the people of the earth will counter this challenge might just define the future of food security of generations to come.