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The UN acknowledges the depth of the food crisis — but capitalism is to blame
A new UN report confirms that global shortages are not simply a result of the war between two major grain producers, but due to the long-standing agribusiness practices of hoarding, speculation and profiteering, reports BERT SCHOUWENBURG

FOLLOWING a request from the United Nations plenary meeting of December 16 2021, the special rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhiri, has submitted an interim report to the general assembly that includes an examination of the issues emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on food security and nutrition.

In his summary, he states that there is a food crisis, yet most national governments have not come together with a substantive, international response. His report highlights structural constraints and outlines how a just transition to agroecology could provide a way forward.

According to Fakhiri’s well-researched paper, hunger has been on the rise since 2015. In 2021, between 702 million and 828m people were affected, 103m more than during the 2019-20 period and 46m more than in 2020.

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