Food Crises

Global hunger has been on the rise, largely as a result of various crises—persistent conflicts, severe climate impacts, and food insecurity. More than half of all food insecurity people live in countries affected by conflict. Together, conflict and food insecurity can create a vicious cycle, as food scarcity leads to market disruptions, which lead to further decreases in food availability and greater disruptions. Climate shocks can have similar impacts on food security. Food crises are also triggering involuntary migration.

IFPRI researchers work to break this vicious cycle by identifying crisis triggers—from climate change and natural disasters to price fluctuations and weak government structures—to better inform food security policy and other social protection policies and programs. Other research focuses on developing longer-term food security strategies that can increase resilience and reduce crises and forced displacement. IFPRI is part of the Food Security Information Network (FSIN), a technical platform that produces the annual Global Report on Food Crises. IFPRI’s research on crises and migration is closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 1, SDG 2, SDG8, SDG 10, SDG 11, and SDG16.