The Ukraine war is crippling the world's food supply, says food security expert Ertharin Cousin

GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

GZERO Media

Politics, News, Foreign Policy, News Commentary, Government, Geopolitics, International Relations, Ian Bremmer, Trump, Global Economy, Gzero World

4.7 • 830 Ratings

🗓️ 23 April 2022

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Ukraine war and sanctions against Russia have created a perfect storm that will lead to a global food supply crisis, Ertharin Cousin, former head of the UN World Food Programme, tells Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World podcast. Russia and Ukraine account for almost a third of the world's wheat exports. All nations could be affected since these are global commodities, but developing countries that rely on those imports are most at risk. The disruptions could double the amount of people that went hungry during the pandemic, and since agriculture is a seasonal business, the worst may be yet to come. Many low-income nations will also struggle because they can't afford subsidies to feed their people. The conflict has put the international community in a tough spot between causing hunger and punishing Russia, says Cousin, who now serves as CEO of a non-profit organization, Food Systems for the Future. She recommends the West offer developing countries financial support to deal with the food crisis since "we need to realize we're not the only game in town"; China may also see this an opportunity to build alliances by offering help.

Transcript

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0:00.0	There's been a significant amount of work on the relationship between hunger and unrest conflict riots.
0:09.5	But here's the question that we as a community of global actors must ask.
0:15.7	Yes, we need the food, but should the Russian government benefit from the purchase of that food?
0:26.5	Hello and welcome to the GZero World podcast.
0:30.1	This is where you'll find extended interviews with the newsmakers I talk to each week on my public television show.
0:36.2	I'm Ian Bremmer.
0:37.1	And today, Russia's war in Ukraine
0:39.7	is already having a rippling impact around the world. It's disrupting supply chains, driving up
0:45.1	energy prices, and perhaps most alarming, it's causing food shortages to critical time for developing
0:51.0	nations. The pandemic had already taken a toll on the world's poorest, and now
0:55.7	as many as 47 million more people face acute hunger as wheat and barley exports take a massive hit.
1:03.5	Russian Ukraine combined produce 30% of the world's wheat. So today we're talking about what
1:09.2	happens when a global bread basket is shut down.
1:12.6	And I'm talking with a global expert on food security.
1:15.6	Erthrin Cousin, she's former executive director of the UN Food Program.
1:20.6	Let's get to it.
1:21.6	The G0 World Podcast is brought to you by our founding sponsor, First Republic.
1:33.1	First Republic, a private bank and wealth management company, places clients' needs first
1:37.9	by providing responsive, relevant, and customized solutions.
1:42.5	Visit firstrepublic.com to learn more.
1:46.2	Challenge yourself to change the world.
1:48.8	On season three of course correction,
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