A lethal combination of high prices and falling supply is threatening food security. Is the climate to blame?

In March food agencies began making emergency appeals when food aid, for regions racked by drought and civil war, fell drastically short of target. High food prices and fuel costs have rendered the provision and transportation of such aid prohibitively expensive, threatening to expose the world’s poorest more than ever.

Countries including India, Vietnam, Argentina and China have imposed export quotas to protect domestic commodity supplies amid rising concern over production and prices. Meanwhile, net importers like the Philippines were left scrambling to secure supply contracts when the production of food staples dipped below global consumption levels. At the end of March, the US Department of Agriculture published an outlook suggesting that for the period 2007-08, global consumption of wheat outstripped production by 14.7 million tons, leaving global wheat stocks at their lowest in 30 years.