iej-g20factsheet4-food-security-web-2-1-3e95b60c20010e5d.pdf

This fact sheet by the Institute for Economic Justice examines the systemic causes of the global food crisis, arguing that hunger is driven by corporate greed, market concentration, and climate change rather than food scarcity. It critiques the G20's historical failure to implement structural reforms and outlines South Africa's priorities for its G20 presidency, including the establishment of a Food Security Task Force to study commodity price volatility and stabilisation techniques.

• The global food crisis is characterized by chronic hunger affecting nearly 800 million people, driven not by a lack of food production but by a system that prioritizes corporate profit over people and the planet, leading to unaffordable prices for nutritious food.
• Food systems are both a major contributor to and a victim of climate change, accounting for 34% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Climate-driven events, such as the 2024 El Niño drought, caused 70% crop destruction in Zambia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe, resulting in malnutrition for 21 million children.
• Global grain trade is highly concentrated, with four firms—Archer Daniels Midland, Bunge, Cargill, and Louis Dreyfus (the ABCD firms)—controlling 70% of the market. These firms are accused of using their wealth to speculate on food prices and evading financial regulations because they are classified as consumer companies.
• Financial speculation on futures contracts by traders who do not intend to buy the food, rather than actual shortages, has been a primary driver of food price spikes, including those following the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
• The G20 has historically acknowledged food system problems without implementing systemic reforms. The document highlights the absence of effective regulation on food speculation and the failure to introduce food buffer stocks—coordinated reserves used to stabilize prices and counter speculation.
• Under its G20 role, South Africa has created a dedicated Food Security Task Force to supplement the G20 Agriculture Working Group. This task force is conducting three studies focused on macroeconomic drivers of price volatility, the feasibility of price stabilisation techniques, and a review of policies for global food system transformation.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (n.d.). iej-g20factsheet4-food-security-web-2-1-3e95b60c20010e5d.pdf. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IEJ-G20factsheet4-Food-security-web-2-1.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. iej-g20factsheet4-food-security-web-2-1-3e95b60c20010e5d.pdf. n.d. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IEJ-G20factsheet4-Food-security-web-2-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=iej-g20factsheet4-food-security-web-2-1-3e95b60c20010e5d.pdf |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IEJ-G20factsheet4-Food-security-web-2-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforeconomicjusticendiejg20factsheet4foodsecurityweb213e95b60c20010e5dpdf, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{iej-g20factsheet4-food-security-web-2-1-3e95b60c20010e5d.pdf}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IEJ-G20factsheet4-Food-security-web-2-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }