The Environmental Food Crisis

years, implying that tight markets may be a permanent fac- tor in the next decade. This does not necessarily lead to permanent higher prices, but provides the background for continuing price volatility in the future.

CONSTRAINTS BY CONFLICTS

Conflicts increase the risk of food supply instability tre- mendously (Figure 31). Countries in conflict and post-con- flict situations tend to be food insecure, with more than 20% of the population, and in many cases far more, lack- ing access to adequate food (IFPRI, 2006). The group of countries that are experiencing civil conflicts cannot meet their basic needs and are large importers of food. In addi- tion, the transport of commodities is hazardous and the situation is not secure enough for farmers to make invest- ment decisions.

Figure 31: Crushed by war and world conflicts. For people in countries at war or subject to economic embargos, many goods are scarce, with shortages of food and water being the most crucial. (Source: PRIO, 2004).

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