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Japan's calorie-based food self-sufficiency rate fell to a record low of 37% in the fiscal year ending in March, the first decline in five years. The drop was driven by adverse weather affecting wheat, soybean, and other crop production. The government aims to raise the rate to 45% by 2030, but faces considerable challenges.
UN forecasters warn that a rapidly developing El Niño could push about 50 million people into severe food insecurity by the end of next year, adding to the 225 million already facing hunger in 45 countries. Central and South America, the Caribbean, and southern Africa are likely to be hardest hit, with potential long-term effects on harvests and food prices.
A new report from five UN agencies finds that 2.69 billion people—one-third of the global population—cannot afford a healthy diet. While global hunger declined for the third consecutive year in 2025, the report warns that “enormous” efforts are needed to meet the 2030 zero-hunger goal.
Iranian Agriculture Minister Mohammad-Ali Nikbakht announced that the government has created the necessary platform for extraterritorial development. He emphasized that expanding agricultural and economic activities abroad would boost food security and foster international cooperation. Key projects are underway in Africa and Central Asia.
The UN's World Food Programme warns that the US-Iran conflict is driving millions into hunger as oil price spikes fuel global food insecurity. In Somalia, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka, rising fuel and food costs are pushing vulnerable populations into severe food shortages.
Israeli settler attacks in the West Bank, especially in the Jordan Valley, have intensified since late 2023, forcing Palestinian families to abandon ancestral grazing lands. Livestock theft, crop destruction, and violence have devastated farming communities, with the UN reporting a sharp rise in monthly attacks.
On May 26, the Japanese government admitted that overestimating domestic rice supply and delays in releasing emergency reserves were main causes of the recent rice crisis. Authorities miscalculated market rice availability, leading to tightened supply and higher prices.
EU agriculture ministers met urgently in Brussels as the war in Iran disrupts global supply chains. The European Commission has presented a Fertilizer Action Plan to support farmers amid soaring fertilizer prices.
Soaring food prices in Mexico are forcing households to tighten spending, while producers face dual pressures from rising fuel and fertilizer costs and extortion, threatening stable food supplies. At wholesale markets like Mercado de Abastos in Nuevo Leon, staples such as tomatoes and beef have surged, leading customers to change habits and vendors to cut margins. International pressures, including global fuel and fertilizer price hikes from Strait of Hormuz disruptions, are compounding domestic issues like crime and protests.
