Prior to 2022, Ukraine was a major global exporter of wheat, corn, barley, and oilseed, contributing between 4 and 6 million tons monthly to the global grains trade. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February has halted these exports, and grain silos, transportation vessels, and the Black Sea port of Odesa are being targeted – actions many global leaders are referring to as the weaponization of food. The war in Ukraine in conjunction with devastating climate events have exacerbated the food security crises around the world. The WHO recently declared that the Horn of Africa is experiencing one of the worst hunger crises of the past 70 years, with over 37 million people in the region facing acute hunger—though the war is affecting agriculture and food systems in nearly every country around the world.
Please join CSIS to discuss the nature of the impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war on global, regional, and country-level food security; and effective strategies to mitigate these effects; and lessons the global community should learn from this disruption to ensure more resilient agri-food systems in the future.
