It’s at the center of our dinner tables: an essential human experience

It’s at the center of our dinner tables: an essential human experience where we connect with our friends and family. But it’s also at the center of a story that connects each of us to farmers, producers, suppliers, grocers, and other families around the world. Every meal is the result of a journey that recently became even more difficult. Distribution bottlenecks. Rising food prices. Grain shortages. Energy crises. Climate change. This is the reality of our global food system today. When talk at mealtime turns to the price of bread and higher grocery bills, we’re really joining a much larger conversation about where our food comes from, and how it arrives on our tables. And as the recent war against Ukraine has revealed: while this story impacts each of us in different ways, it undeniably impacts all of us, together.For many of us, that impact is first felt on the store shelf where food prices are still high despite a five-monthWhat may end up in your kitchen as chapati or a tortilla begins as a simple seed of wheat germinating in the ground. That seed often starts its life worlds away from where it ends up—and it faces a series of challenges on its way to you. Below The most effective way to help mitigate the disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine is to end the war and ensureHome Agriculture Every meal is the result of a journey that recently became even more difficult. Distribution bottlenecks. Rising food prices. Grain shortages. Energy crises. Climate change. This is the reality of our global food system today. When talk at mealtime turns to the price of bread and higher grocery bills, we’re really joining a much larger conversation about where our food comes from, and how it arrives on our tables. And as the recent war against Ukraine has revealed: while this story impacts each of us in different ways, it undeniably impacts all of us, together. . What’s more, the challenges we face today could have a significant impact on the future, according to Eurasia Group, people facing food insecurity will rise by about 142 million-243 million by November 2022. Below, we take a look at some of the acute challenges to the global food system that show up on your plate, exploring some of the ways geopolitical conflict, the pandemic, climate change and other factors impacting the cost and availability of the food at your table. Decoding the plate - infographic showing how food prices are being affected Previous Next We’re taking action by investing heavily in our partnerships with biotech organizations working to create more resilient, resource-efficient, and carbon-smart solutions that will increase productivity and minimize harvest loss, investing more than €5bn in research and development every year. From Connection to Action The world is so interconnected that a crisis anywhere can be felt everywhere. In addition to the devastation the war in Ukraine has caused for millions on the ground, it has also set in motion events that have triggered critical disruptions in the supply chain, food production, fertilizer access, energy and more. The war has made a challenging situation worse, as due to the global pandemic food prices were already on the rise. The most effective way to help mitigate the disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine is to end the war and ensure food is not being used as a political tool. The clock is ticking. Every day the war continues, the global food crisis worsens. We believe both collaboration and swift action at scale are key to mitigating the food crisis and to preventing longer-term food shortages. Strengthening our global food system requires innovation, the dedicated support of smallholder farmers, and an active approach to fighting climate change. This is why we are taking immediate action to support Ukrainian growers. To that end, we have donated more than 40,000 bags of seed to support farmers who are still planting in Ukraine.