From “Just in Time” to “Just in Case”: Agrifood Systems Under Pressure
At a High-Level Political Forum 2026 side event at United Nations Headquarters, speakers described a global agrifood system facing increasingly interconnected shocks, from conflict and climate extremes to crop diseases, financial stress, and disruptions of critical trade routes.
FAO’s Máximo Torero noted that hunger is declining too slowly and unevenly, while acute food insecurity still affects more than 266 million people. Conflict remains the largest driver, followed by weather and climate extremes and economic downturns.
Geopolitical competition is also reshaping trade. Countries and firms…
For those of you interested in food systems, here’s an update from the Food for Humanity Initiative: “If you have been to the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) campus, you may recall seeing a very nice but dormant greenhouse next to the Tree Ring Lab. The greenhouse originally came with the Lamont property that was donated to Columbia University in 1948, and had undergone extensive renovations in the early 2000’s thanks to the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences Chair Kevin Griffin’s research funding…
With a bit of love and labor investment from the F4H team (including…
At a High-Level Political Forum 2026 side event at United Nations Headquarters, speakers described a global agrifood system facing increasingly interconnected shocks, from conflict and climate extremes to crop diseases, financial stress, and disruptions of critical trade routes.
FAO’s Máximo Torero noted that hunger is declining too slowly and unevenly, while acute food insecurity still affects more than 266 million people. Conflict remains the largest driver, followed by weather and climate extremes and economic downturns.
Geopolitical competition is also reshaping trade. Countries and firms…
Food for Humanity Interim Director Michael Puma attended a session at United Nations Headquarters in New York on the forthcoming 2026 edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, focused on the high cost of a healthy diet.
FAO Chief Economist Máximo Torero emphasized that reforms must be carefully sequenced. Subsidizing calorie-rich staple foods can unintentionally increase the relative cost of a healthy diet. Governments may first need to invest in production capacity, transportation, storage, processing, and other infrastructure required to expand the supply of nutritious…