Warning bells on an impending global famine are being sounded off by various experts, who urge the public to prepare ahead of time.
CBN News reported that the threat of food insecurity is real, which currently affects 276 million people globally and 13.8 million people in the United States. Feeding America Network is said to see an increase in demand for food security for 65% of its 200 food banks in the country.
Food Experts Explain The Famine Threat
Bread for the World Managing Director Heather Taylor told CBN News that this translates to 13 million children in the United States experiencing hunger due to a continued increase in the prices of gas, food, and inflation. The same phenomenon is worse in developing countries that are dependent on wheat exports from Russia and Ukraine such as Somalia (90%) and Egypt (80%).
"It all has a compound effect," Taylor explained.
Last March, Bread for the World President and Chief Executive Officer Rev. Eugene Cho warned of an upcoming global food crisis due to Russia's unprovoked war on Ukraine. Cho said the war in Russia and Ukraine, being both the world's number one source of wheat and grains, would cause a domino effect that would curtail food supply.
The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization Lead Analyst For Food Crisis Luca Russo in an interview with Al Jazeera last week said the Russian invasion would also affect the cost of delivering aid and energy prices. Russo cleared that food insecurity is not solely caused by the Russian invasion but is a result of various factors over the last six years that include poor governance, fragile food systems, conflict, and climate change.
The Russian invasion, he said, is but aggravating the global problem of food insecurity. The analyst clarified that currently there is no global famine but the continuous increase of prices for commodities and energy will lead to that. In addition, Luca underscored that "if the war in Ukraine continues, 2023 could be a very, very dangerous year."
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva raised two weeks ago during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as per NPR, that the rise in food prices is parallel to "the anxiety about access to food at a reasonable price globally," which is "hitting the roof."
Also Read: Pastor Warns Of Global Food Crisis From Russia-Ukraine Conflict
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has also pointed to "the specter of a global food shortage in the coming months" but world leaders are not heeding the matter with urgent action, NPR stressed.
In a statement dated May 19, the UN raised that the lack of grain exports is driving global hunger into global famine. More than 75 speakers of the UN Security Council have pointed to the continued war in Ukraine as the reason behind the impending food threat.
This is in the face of a delegate from the Russian Federation rebuking the United States' claim that Russia's blockade of Ukraine ports is also holding the world hostage. The ports in the Odessa region remain closed because of the war, prohibiting grain to be released to the rest of the world.
A Global Famine To Prepare For
With this warning on a upcoming food shortage, Kingdom Embassy Church Pastor Joshua Giles raised during a guesting in CBN's Christian World News the need for churches to respond as part of their preparation to help others.
"I do believe that we can start to purchase certain things and store them up. I'm not encouraging people to panic buy at all but what I'm saying just use the wisdom of God. When we read about Joseph in scripture, he endured one of the greatest famines in history and the Lord gave them strategies and insight on how to navigate that famine but also how to thrive in the midst of it," Giles said.
Giles, whose church is based in Minneapolis, wrote about the food crisis based on a vision he received in 2020. Giles said the Holy Spirit revealed to him a decade of shortages and showed him in a vision a store with empty shelves. The pastor cited the biblical story of Joseph on how churches could respond to the food crisis.
In addition, Giles also pointed to the need to prepare for the shortage spiritually. He expressed the belief that these current events are but a mirror of what is happening to humanity on a spiritual level. He encouraged believers to take the opportunity in these times to become closer to Jesus Christ by making sure their relationship with Him is strengthened.
Cedarville University Associate Professor of Management John LeBlanc added the importance of stocking up on foods that do not spoil easily such as packaged and canned goods and anything that can be put in the freezer. LeBlanc said having spare gasoline and investing in a generator would be beneficial should power shortages occur. This will ensure the food you've stored won't be spoiled.
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