Ahead of my visit to #Ireland, I spoke with @IrishTimes about a risk the world cannot afford to underestimate. The conflict in the Middle East is not confined to geopolitics or energy markets. It is already moving through the systems that determine whether farmers can plant, harvest, transport and sell food.
For small-scale producers, higher fuel and fertiliser costs are not abstract market movements. They shape decisions made field by field, whether to plant less, delay production, reduce inputs, or absorb costs that are already too high.
That is how today’s instability becomes tomorrow’s food crisis.
Food security cannot be protected only after prices rise or supplies are disrupted. It must be built in advance, through stronger rural economies, better access to finance and inputs, functioning markets, and resilient local food systems.
At @IFAD , this is where we focus. Investing at the first mile, where food systems begin and where the pressure of global crises is often felt first.
Ireland has long understood the link between hunger, conflict and development. I look forward to continuing this discussion in Dublin.
#FinancingTheFirstMile
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