ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE
Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, panicky headlines about a global wheat shortage appeared. As a crop scientist, I knew that wasn’t right. The regional supply crunch was real: Nations that source grain from the Black Sea suddenly had to order it from farther away, upsetting supply chains. But it wasn’t a global shortage. Thanks to record crops in India, Australia, and elsewhere, there was enough to feed everyone. We just had to move it.
You wouldn’t have guessed it from the news, though. Coverage of food supply chains featured scare tactics and distortion that drove speculation and trade restrictions, worsening the problem. By early July, global commodity prices finally fell to reflect the availability of food, rather than speculation. Yet while the panic was unfounded, the suffering it caused was real, immense, and unnecessary.
Next time, we need to get it right. Climate change, public health emergencies, and politics virtually guarantee we’ll keep seeing crunches in the food supply chain. But even in turbulent times, we can ensure food security around the world. We have the tools we need to get there.
To reach food security, though, many of us will have to abandon cherished ideas about how the food system
