A new report from IPES-Food highlights that the world is entering a new era in food politics, one in which geopolitical tensions, climate shocks, conflict and economic instability are increasingly shaping what food is produced, where it is traded and who can afford it.

Building Resilient Food Systems in an Unstable World

Published on 30 September, Resilient Self-Reliance: Building Food Systems for an Unstable World, suggests that the assumptions underpinning global food markets for much of the past half-century are being challenged. The report points to a combination of armed conflict, trade disputes, climate-related disruptions, aid cuts and growing strains on international institutions as evidence that food systems are operating in a more volatile and uncertain environment.

Many countries, particularly in the Global South, have become heavily dependent on imported food, fertilisers and agricultural inputs. When global supply chains are disrupted or prices spike, these countries can find themselves exposed to rising food costs, increasing debt burdens and growing food insecurity. At the same time, powerful firms operating within food supply chains are often able to use instability to increase market share and consolidate influence, raising concerns about concentration of power and the resilience of highly centralised food systems.

Building more resilient food systems

The authors suggest that governments should place greater emphasis on what it describes as "resilient self-reliance". This does not mean abandoning trade or pursuing isolationist policies. Instead, it means strengthening domestic food production, supporting local and territorial food markets, reducing excessive dependence on imports and creating systems that are better able to withstand external shocks.

To achieve this, the report calls for renewed attention to market management tools that have often fallen out of favour in recent decades. These include public food reserves, supply management systems, marketing boards and production quotas. Drawing on examples from India, West Africa, Canada and Norway, the authors argue that such approaches can help stabilise prices, support farmers and reduce exposure to disruptions in international markets.

Agroecology and sustainable food systems

Perhaps most significantly, the report links resilient self-reliance to agroecological transitions. It argues that future food systems should be more diverse, less dependent on fossil fuels and external inputs, and better able to support local producers and rural livelihoods.

The report concludes that governments now face a critical choice. As geopolitical instability increases, they can continue to rely on highly concentrated and globally exposed food systems, or they can invest in food systems that are more resilient, more diverse and better able to withstand future shocks.

A New Geopolitics of Food Is Reshaping Global Food Security