Food crisis looming: Will people lose access to food?
The World Bank has expressed concerns about unimpeded access to food. In addition to identifying natural and climatic catastrophes as reasons, it pointed to other worrying factors.
We live in the 2020s in a developing European country with free access to new technology. We are fortunate not to know what it's like to experience missing goods and empty shelves, as most things are readily available. Even unusual food cravings can be fulfilled for a price. We can easily find viral items from the United States in groceries or order original Asian products online.
Although we were affected by the pandemic for a while and experienced shortages of basic items such as flour, milk, eggs, and toilet paper, those days are now behind us. The temporary unavailability of a product has become so rare that it can cause frustration when it does occur, as it requires a change of plans or a visit to another shop.
Unfortunately, the World Bank is warning that access to food is decreasing at an alarming rate in other parts of the world. Food is becoming much more expensive in Argentina (251% increase), Lebanon (208%), and Venezuela (170%). These figures are from the last quarter of 2023, and the situation will probably worsen this year.
Is food getting too expensive for people?
The World Bank has emphasised that there is no food shortage but that food has become too expensive for many people. In fact, in two-thirds of the world's countries, food price inflation is higher than general inflation.
Until recently, Poland was also facing significant food price increases, with a 24% annual increase in March 2023. However, recent data from December shows a more positive trend, with only a 6% increase compared to the previous year.
Beyond climate crisis: Why food is getting expensive?
According to a report by economists from the World Bank, the main factors behind the rising food prices are socio-political in nature. The report identifies local conflicts and wars as a primary reason that disrupt trade routes' access. The report also mentions other factors, such as increasing energy costs, extreme weather events, climate change, and geopolitical uncertainty.
To tackle the escalating food crisis, the World Bank has proposed a circular system of "reduce-reuse-recycle-remove". This system aims to reduce the planet's burden and help cut down food production costs by up to $12.7 trillion.
Billion-dollar grants to combat world hunger
The World Bank is taking steps to address the food access crisis. It has devoted tens of billions of dollars to combat hunger. The organisation has promised $45 billion to fight hunger and provided $22 billion in loans. As many as 90 countries receive aid from the World Bank.
Source: rp.pl
