SPOTLIGHT ON WHEAT.
Almost half of the world’s calorie intake is derived from essential crops, such as maize, rice and wheat, with Ukraine and Russia accounting for 29% of global wheat exports. From a Food Security point of view, the impact of Russian aggression in Ukraine extends well beyond its borders. 60% of the world’s undernourished people live in areas affected by conflict and in just two years, the number of people facing, or at risk of, acute food insecurity has increased from 135 million in 53 countries pre-pandemic, to 345 million in 82 countries today, with close to 140 million people suffering acute hunger in 2021 living in just 10 countries. It’s a vicious circle - food insecurity begets conflict, which then spills over in other countries and regions, destabilising the world as a whole.
