What is food insecurity? “The fact or an instance of being unable to consistently access or afford adequate food” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/food%20insecurity
“The international community must step up su`pport to Madagascar, where more than one million people in the south are facing severe hunger, the top UN aid official there said on Thursday in a renewed appeal for solidarity and funding.
The impacts of the most acute drought in over 40 years, combined with sandstorms and pests, have made it nearly impossible for people in the Grand Sud to grow their own food for at least three years now.” https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1106132
“The drought has left more than 1.3 million people facing severe hunger, including some 30,000 people who are facing life-threatening famine-like conditions.
“Women, children and families are eating cactus or locusts to survive this drought and more than half a million children are acutely malnourished,” he said. “This is happening in a country and a region that has contributed the least to climate change.”
The crisis has forced families to take their children out of school so they can help with tasks such as finding food and water.” https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1106132
The United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) describes causes of food insecurity. “Food crises are nearly always due to a combination of factors, but it is important to establish whether the nature of food crises is predominantly related to lack of food availability, limited access to food, or severe but localized problems. Countries in crisis requiring external assistance for food are expected to lack the resources to deal with reported critical problems of food insecurity. Three levels of crises are described in this field in descending severity: countries facing an exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies as a result of crop failure, natural disasters, interruption of imports, disruption of distribution, excessive post-harvest losses, or other supply bottlenecks; countries with widespread lack of access, where a majority of the population is considered to be unable to procure food from local markets, due to very low incomes, exceptionally high food prices, or the inability to circulate within the country; countries with severe localized food insecurity due to the influx of refugees, a concentration of internally displaced persons, or areas with combinations of crop failure and deep poverty.” https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/food-insecurity/
“Afghanistan: Food Insecurity Affecting 14 Million Children In Country, UN Official Claims
The UN official said around 3.2 million children are acutely malnourished and 1.1 million children are in danger of dying as a result of severe malnutrition.” Written By Anurag Roushan https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/rest-of-the-world-news/afghanistan-food-insecurity-affecting-14-million-children-in-country-un-official-claims.html
“Samantha Mort, chief of communication, Advocacy and Civic Engagement, UNICEF Afghanistan , painted a grim picture of the war-torn country claiming that around 22.8 million people are facing food insecurity and are unable to obtain affordable or nutritious food.”… “Expressing her concerns about the destitute families, Mort said that people don't get to eat three meals a day and individuals wake up wondering where their next meal will come from. "It's that degree of food insecurity in the country," the UNICEF official told UN News.
She added that drought, a poor harvest, and rising food costs have exacerbated the looming disaster, which she dubbed "the perfect storm in Afghanistan." Mort also predicted that snow will cut off rural communities in the mountains at the start of a bitterly cold winter season.” https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/rest-of-the-world-news/afghanistan-food-insecurity-affecting-14-million-children-in-country-un-official-claims.html
The following Food Insecurity Listing has been summarized from https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/food-insecurity/ utilizing the wording from the original source.
Afghanistan severe localized food insecurity
Bangladesh severe localized food insecurity:
Burkina Faso severe localized food insecurity:
Burma severe localized food insecurity:
Burundi widespread lack of access:
Cameroon severe localized food insecurity:
Central African Republic exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies:
Chad widespread lack of access:
Democratic Republic of the Congo widespread lack of access
Republic of the Congo severe localized food insecurity:
Djibouti widespread lack of access:
Eswatini severe localized food insecurity:
Ethiopia widespread lack of access:
Guinea severe localized food insecurity:
Haiti severe localized food insecurity:
Iraq severe localized food insecurity:
Kenya exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies:
Korea, North widespread lack of access:
Lebanon exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies:
Lesotho severe localized food insecurity:
Libya severe localized food insecurity
Madagascar severe localized food insecurity:
Malawi severe localized food insecurity
Mali severe localized food insecurity:
Mauritania severe localized food insecurity:
Morocco
Mozambique severe localized food insecurity:
Namibia severe localized food insecurity:
Niger widespread lack of access:
Nigeria widespread lack of access:
Pakistan severe localized food insecurity:
Senegal severe localized food insecurity
Sierra Leone severe localized food insecurity:
Somalia exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies:
South Sudan widespread lack of access:
Sudan severe localized food insecurity
Syria exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies:
Tanzania severe localized food insecurity:
Uganda widespread lack of access:
Venezuela widespread lack of access:
Yemen widespread lack of access:
Zambia severe localized food insecurity:
Zimbabwe widespread lack of access:
The world population currently is eight billion rounded up. https://www.census.gov/popclock/world
The most populous countries are:
1. China 1,397,897,720
2. India 1,339,330,514
3. United States 332,475,723
4. Indonesia 238,181,034
5. Pakistan 238,181,034 https://www.census.gov/popclock/world
Of the five most populous countries only Pakistan is listed as having food insecurity.
Covid-19 has disrupted the supply chain in the last twenty months. While the supply chain is improving in the United States we still see empty shelves in the grocery store. Not all food is out of supply but many of our favorite items are and prices have risen
According to the USDA Economic Research Service food prices rose 3.5 percent in 2020 over 2019.
“Beef and veal prices increased 3.3 percent from August to September 2021, pork prices increased 1.2 percent, and other meat prices increased 1.8 percent. Prices have been driven up by strong domestic and international demand, labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, and high feed and other input costs. Winter storms and drought impacted meat prices this spring, and processing facility closures due to cybersecurity attacks impacted beef and other meat production in May. Consolidation in the meat industry could also have an effect on prices. Beef and veal prices are predicted to increase between 6.5 and 7.5 percent in 2021, pork prices are predicted to increase between 6.5 and 7.5 percent, other meat prices are predicted to increase between 1.5 and 2.5 percent, and poultry prices are predicted to increase between 3.5 and 4.5 percent. Prices for the aggregate category of “meats” are predicted to increase between 5.5 and 6.5 percent.
Fish and seafood prices increased 1.2 percent from August to September 2021. Low imports, labor shortages, and strong domestic demand, particularly within the foodservice sector, have increased prices. Fish and seafood prices are predicted to increase between 4.0 and 5.0 percent in 2021. Prices for the aggregate category of “meats, poultry, and fish” are predicted to increase between 4.5 and 5.5 percent.
Egg prices increased 3.3 percent from August to September 2021, and are 3.3 percent higher, on average, in 2021 compared with 2020. Egg prices are high partly due to robust foreign demand, especially from South Korea and neighboring countries, which were impacted by avian influenza earlier this year. U.S. egg prices are predicted to increase 3.0 to 4.0 percent in 2021.” https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/summary-findings.aspx '
In Great Britain the “of Cost of food in the United Kingdom increased 1.20 percent in October of 2021 over the same month in the previous year. source: Office for National Statistics” https://tradingeconomics.com/united-kingdom/food-inflation
“The annual inflation rate in the US surged to 6.2% in October of 2021, the highest since November of 1990 and above forecasts of 5.8%. Upward pressure was broad-based, with energy costs recording the biggest gain (30% vs 24.8% in September), namely gasoline (49.6%). Inflation also increased for shelter (3.5% vs 3.2%); food (5.3% vs 4.6%, the highest since January of 2009), namely food at home (5.4% vs 4.5%); new vehicles (9.8% vs 8.7%); used cars and trucks (26.4% percent vs 24.4%); transportation services (4.5% vs 4.4%); apparel (4.3% vs 3.4%); and medical care services (1.7% vs 0.9%). The monthly rate increased to 0.9% from 0.4% in September, also higher than forecasts of 0.6%, boosted by higher cost of energy, shelter, food, used cars and trucks, and new vehicles. source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.” https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/inflation-cpi
“Annual inflation rate in the UK jumped to 4.2% in October of 2021, the highest since December of 2011 and above market forecasts of 3.9%. Main upward pressure came from cost of housing and utilities (6.8% vs 1.9%), namely electricity (18.8%), gas (28.1%) and liquid fuels (69.1%), reflecting a global surge in energy and specially gas prices, and following the increase in the cap on energy prices, which changed on October 1st. Ofgem which is the energy regulator, updates the energy price caps twice a year, in April and October, to ensure that they reflect changes in the cost of supplying energy. Other upward contributions came from prices of transport (9.9% vs 8.4%), food and beverages (1.2% vs 0.8%), miscellaneous goods and services (1.3% vs 1%), restaurants and hotels (6.3% vs 5.1%). The monthly inflation rate jumped to 1.1% from 0.3%. source: Office for National Statistics” https://tradingeconomics.com/united-kingdom/inflation-cpi
“France's consumer price inflation rate was confirmed at 2.6 percent year-on-year in October 2021, the highest rate since October of 2008 and up from 2.2 percent in the previous month. This increase in inflation resulted from the acceleration in energy prices (20.2 percent after 14.9 percent) and service prices (1.8 percent after 1.4 percent). Meanwhile, the prices of tobacco rose 4.8 percent, the same as in the prior month and those of manufactured goods (0.3 percent after 0.4 percent) and food (0.7 percent after 1 percent) slowed down. On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose by 0.4 percent, recovering from a 0.2 percent decline in September. source: INSEE, France” https://tradingeconomics.com/france/inflation-cpi
I say all this to point out that inflation is a global issue and food insecurity is slowly becoming a world issue.
The Bible clearly states that there will be famine in the last days. Revelation 6:5-6 (NASB)
“5 When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” I looked, and behold, a black horse, and the one who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.”
In the last days the cost of food will increase drastically. While economically the world had not reached that point, I believe it is on a trajectory to reach it.
Picture by Pixabay