Conflicts and disruptions in global energy markets could push millions more people to the brink of hunger due to rising fuel, fertilizer, and food prices, warned Alvaro Lario, head of the Rome-based International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The statement came amid the release of a new UN report showing that global progress in the fight against hunger remains extremely fragile.

The UN report on food security notes that global hunger levels have declined slightly in recent years. However, according to projections, by 2030 more than 500 million people may still face chronic undernourishment, with the main burden falling on countries in Africa.

Conflicts remain one of the main obstacles to reducing hunger levels globally, the head of IFAD added.

Wars and geopolitical tensions disrupt shipping, energy supplies, and agricultural resources, driving up costs across the entire food production and distribution chain, which has already been affected by inflation. Lario emphasized that hunger and armed confrontations often reinforce one another, creating a vicious cycle that is extremely difficult to break without achieving stability.

Rising energy prices are already affecting the cost of fertilizers and agricultural production as a whole. This hits small-scale farms especially hard, many of which are critically dependent on diesel fuel to operate irrigation pumps, harvest crops, and deliver produce to markets. Higher fuel prices directly increase production costs, triggering further rises in food prices.