World Affairs In Context
The world is focused on soaring oil prices after the war with Iran. But the real global crisis may be something far more alarming: food.
After military strikes by the United States and Israel, Iran moved to shut down the critical shipping corridor known as the Strait of Hormuz—a narrow passage that handles enormous shipments of fertilizer and agricultural supplies used to grow food for billions of people.
Nearly one-third of the world’s nitrogen fertilizer trade and huge volumes of sulfur for phosphate fertilizers move through this chokepoint. With planting season approaching, even a short disruption could tighten fertilizer supplies, push food prices higher, and threaten harvests across the globe.
From rising costs in India to supply risks in Brazil and across sub‑Saharan Africa, the ripple effects could reach farms, supermarkets, and dinner tables everywhere.
Is the next global crisis about to hit the world’s food supply?