According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Food Price Index, global food commodity prices rose for the ninth consecutive month in February, with quotations for sugar and vegetable oils increasing the most.
Global food price index rises for 9th consecutive month

The expansion of land for agriculture is the leading driver of deforestation and biodiversity loss.

As the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict and climate-related crises drive acute levels of hunger higher, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is seeking $1.1 billion in 2021 to save the lives and livelihoods of some of the world's most food-insecure people.

The fights against food waste and hunger have been given a boost by an innovative collaboration between a bank, an agritech firm and South Africa’s largest food redistribution company.

Food security is a growing concern globally, with two billion people being subject to moderate to severe food insecurity in 2019 according to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation.

What does this mean for selecting ingredients to go into a dairy ration?

The past 18 months have demonstrated just how delicate the food supply chain is, whether at the hand of climate change, political disruption or even a global pandemic.

Last week, the South African Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) mildly lifted its forecast for 2020/21 summer grain and oilseeds production from the previous month by 1% to 18,7 million tonnes (this compared with 17,6 million tonnes in 2019/20 production season).

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Nothing threatens the stability of a nation or region more than food insecurity.

FAO’s forecast for global cereal production in 2020 has been raised by 1.7 million tonnes this month to 2 767 million tonnes, 2.1 percent above the 2019 output.

On Wednesday morning, Statistics South Africa reported much higher figures for consumer food price inflation than some had expected. In April 2021, the country’s consumer food prices were at 6,7% year-on-year, the highest level since July 2017.

African universities need to increase investment in postgraduate training to produce the knowledge and human resources needed to support the agriculture sector.

South Africa spends more than R1bn every year to fight an army of alien invader species — but a never-ending task lies ahead to limit the relentless spread of a wide range of foreign organisms that are degrading the country’s water resources, farming lands and rich biological heritage.

Global food prices rose in May at their fastest monthly rate in more than a decade, even as world cereal production is on course to reach a new record high, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported today.

It sometimes feels like there is little more to discuss regarding South Africa’s consumer food price inflation.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it fundamental change across the world and shone a spotlight squarely on the challenges posed by a fragile global food ecosystem and the disruptive impact climate change has upon it.

Every year, an estimated 600 million people (almost one in 10 globally) fall ill after eating contaminated food and about 420 000 die, explains Prof Buys.

Widespread global shipping disruptions may jeopardise South Africa’s retail high season that includes November’s Black Friday and the December seasonal sales — unless importers move fast.

This is understandable as the public fear that the looting and vandalism have destroyed some food distribution centers, retailers and caused blockages in key logistics corridors.