World · Africa · 7 hrs ago
Rising energy costs and El Niño threaten food security worldwide
The UN’s agricultural development agency says global farm prices rose 13% in the third quarter as energy costs climbed.
The rise in oil and gas prices, linked to conflict in the Middle East, has made fuel and fertilizer more expensive for farmers and food transport.
Small-scale farmers are especially exposed, even though they produce about a third of the world’s food and up to 70% in some developing countries.
The agency’s head, Álvaro Lario, warns that food inflation could hit people least able to afford it over the next six to nine months; about 260 million people already face food insecurity worldwide.
El Niño is also threatening harvests in Africa, Asia and Latin America, with crop losses reported in El Salvador and Honduras and irregular monsoon rains reducing water availability in India.
G7 countries pledged $2.5 billion in support for countries at risk of food insecurity, with special attention to fertilizer, while the IMF recommends targeted cash support and school meal programs.
Lario called for investment over three to five years in irrigation, storage, local food processing and access to markets to make food systems more resilient.
The UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) warned that rising energy costs could fuel a global food crisis.
Global agricultural prices rose 13% in the third quarter, and the trend is accelerating, IFAD said.
Higher prices for hydrocarbons linked to the Middle East conflict have made fuel and fertilisers more expensive, raising farm and transport costs.
IFAD President Álvaro Lario said food inflation could hit the people least able to afford it over the next six to nine months.
The G7 countries pledged $2.5 billion to help countries at risk of food insecurity, with a focus on fertilisers.
- Who
- IFAD and its president, Álvaro Lario, warned of the risk. Small farmers and people in countries facing food insecurity are among those affected.
- What
- Rising energy costs are increasing agricultural production and transport costs, adding to food prices and the risk of a global food crisis.
- When
- The warning was reported on October 16, 2026. Lario said food inflation could hit vulnerable populations over the next six to nine months.
- Where
- The warning was made in Bangkok, where IMF and World Bank meetings were taking place. The article also cites crop and weather impacts in several regions.
- Why
- Higher hydrocarbon prices linked to the Middle East conflict have raised the cost of fuel and fertilisers; El Niño also threatens harvests.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Higher hydrocarbon prices linked to the Middle East conflict made fertilisers and fuel more expensive, according to El Universal.
Global agricultural prices rose 13%, IFAD said.
G7 countries pledged to mobilise $2.5 billion to help countries at risk of food insecurity.
Reports published the warning by IFAD and its president, Álvaro Lario.
Lario said food inflation should hit populations least able to bear the costs.
- Agricultural prices
- Rose 13% globally in the third quarter
- Food insecurity
- Around 260 million people worldwide
- Small farmers
- Produce one-third of the world’s food and up to 70% in numerous developing countries
- Fertiliser use
- 200 kilograms per hectare per year among small farmers in Southeast Asia
- G7 pledge
- $2.5 billion for countries at risk of food insecurity
- Forecast period
- Six to nine months for food inflation to hit vulnerable populations
2 sources
What people are saying
As a result, in the next six to nine months we should see food inflation hit hard the populations least able to bear these costs
Small farmers use 200 kilos of fertilisers per hectare per year in Southeast Asia. This will inevitably have consequences for productivity, yields and, therefore, prices
In the short term, governments have very limited room for manoeuvre: they can subsidise fertiliser or fuel prices
In Central America, losses in maize and bean harvests are already being recorded, especially in El Salvador and Honduras