A third of the world's fertilisers normally pass through the Strait of Hormuz and the World Trade Organization (WTO) has warned that the blockade there threatens global food security, particularly in Africa and South Asia.
"The potato industry is dynamic. The needs change, the costs, the pressures that they have, and the markets change. So we have to adapt to that with our varieties."
Jose Andres emphasizes the urgency of addressing the fertilizer supply crisis, stating, 'When fertilizers don't arrive in time for key planting windows, yields can fall in the following harvest cycle.' He highlights the severe consequences for poorer countries, noting, 'In places like Haiti, they don't serve you a kilo of rice, they serve you one ounce at a time.'
"In 2018 when the UN high commissioner for refugees and the International Organisation for Migration agreed to provide cooking fuel across the camps in the form of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), many of these problems subsided."
Nearly half of the world's traded urea—the most widely used fertiliser—and large volumes of other fertilisers are exported from Gulf countries via the Strait of Hormuz, making global agriculture highly exposed to any disruption there. Recent disruptions to gas supplies and shipping have already forced fertiliser plants, which use natural gas to manufacture fertiliser, in the Gulf and beyond to shut or cut their output.
Because Yemen imports nearly 90 percent of its food and other essential commodities, economists and humanitarian organisations warn that the rise in shipping and insurance costs could quickly translate into higher prices for fuel, food and other goods, further worsening an already dire humanitarian situation.
All of the details are still being finalized but what we know is one of the ships that was carrying about six of our containers, and each container having about 40,000 pounds of rice, was struck by one of the Iranian drones. So we know the ship is damaged, we know it's not sunk. We don't know whether or not our individual container was damaged, but we know this would be a significant delay to receive those six containers.
The agreement committed the Belarusian government to releasing 123 political prisoners, a significant concession from one of Europe's most entrenched authoritarian regimes. In return, Washington agreed to lift sanctions on Belarus's potash exports-sanctions it escalated after the country's rigged 2020 election and later expanded, in 2022, when Belarus allowed Russia to use its territory to invade Ukraine.
The World Food Programme (WFP) transported more than 700 metric tons of food commodities to support nearly 70,000 people, including 21,000 mothers and children with specialized nutritious food to prevent malnutrition, the UN said in a statement. Dilling and the nearby city of Kadugli have been largely cut off from aid for more than two years, leaving communities with severe shortages of humanitarian assistance, the UN said.
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Polymarket, the cryptocurrency-based prediction market, announced on Tuesday it would be opening New York City's first free grocery store, seemingly a nod to the mayor's signature policy. In a statement the firm said it hoped to empower every New Yorker to achieve food security for good, and that it had donated $1m to the Food Bank for NYC. The eponymous Polymarket store, however, will apparently only run as a temporary pop-up, and despite supposedly opening on 12 February its location has yet to be announced.
For many Canadians, the cost of groceries and everyday essentials has been too high for too long. They need more support now," Prime Minister Mark Carney conceded on Monday morning, speaking at a grocery store in Ottawa, almost exactly a week removed from his landmark speech in Davos, Switzerland. The cost of food is no small thing. Indeed, for many Canadians it is the main thing. And for too many, the cost of food has become too much.
We begin with a deliberately ambitious question. What would it take for every person on Earth to live at least as well as someone in Switzerland does today-by 2100? Not culturally Swiss, but economically empowered with high incomes, long lives, strong education, and social cohesion. Achieving this would require global GDP to be about 8.5 times higher than it is today. That figure alone is enough to trigger skepticism. Will we have enough energy, materials, food, and innovation?
The global attack on nature is threatening the UK's national security, government intelligence chiefs have warned, as the increasingly likely collapse of vitally important natural systems would bring mass migration, food shortages and price rises, and global disorder. Food supplies are particularly at risk, as without significant increases, the UK would be unable to compete with other nations for scarce resources, a report to ministers warns.
Food policy across much of the world is changing. But not in Britain. That may be a costly mistake as the prices of essentials rise because of the climate emergency, geopolitical tensions and the fragility of just-in-time supply chains. Many capitals are now reviving their strategic food reserves. European nations such as Sweden, Finland, Norway and Germany are rebuilding stocks dismantled after the cold war.
Maui's lush landscapes have drawn visitors for decades, but now what comes from the aina (land) is also attracting attention. As the island continues to recover from the 2023 wildfires and a 20.7% drop in tourism between July 2023 and July 2025, more Maui farm owners are opening their fields and facilities to visitors. Farm tours offer educational, entertaining and enriching experiences that offset the high cost of farming and help stimulate the island's economic recovery.
One good way to help out this season is to partner with United Way of NYC, an organization with over 87 years of dedicated service. The nonprofit focuses on creating sustainable growth by addressing critical issues such as health, education and food security. Volunteers can help out by donating supplies like hygiene kits, school supplies, making financial donations or donating their time at one of the group's many toy drives.
The death toll from flooding and landslides across Indonesia's Sumatra island has risen to 631, the country's disaster agency said, as one million people were evacuated from high-risk areas. Heavy monsoon rains and tropical cyclones have devastated parts of Asia this week, including Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Southern Thailand, killing more than 1,160 people across the region, destroying infrastructure and inundating towns.
J ulian Canadien, a Dene man from Kakisa, Northwest Territories, is swarmed by black flies while he pulls weeds from the soil beneath his feet. The bugs don't bother him much. He's the only paid employee at the community garden, where his job is to prune and clear the rows of vegetables, water the produce, and churn the compost. And he likes his job.
