A member of the House of Lords in the United Kingdom, Lord Paul Yaw Boateng says some 309 million people are experiencing severe food insecurity.

According to him, inadequate food storage is a significant issue affecting many countries.

"The latest figures from the World Food Program suggest that as many as 309 million people are facing acute levels of insecurity for all domestic food. Price inflation remains stubbornly high, there is no country in the world that has not experienced domestic food price inflation."

He said this at the 2024 Annual Leadership Lecture at the UPSA auditorium in Accra.

Food insecurity is a major problem, stemming from inefficient food systems. Farmers face numerous challenges including; climate change, low prices, poor road infrastructure, lack of access to finance, inadequate markets, post-harvest losses, insufficient education and knowledge, unsustainable farming practices, and rural-urban migration.

He emphasised that both low and middle-income countries widely experience these issues.

Lord Boateng cited higher energy costs, trade restrictions, and the loss of fertiliser supplies from the Russian Federation and Belarus as factors that caused fertiliser prices to rise even faster than food prices.

"Ask any farmer, and they will tell you this is their experience," he added.

He also noted that the geopolitical situation has heightened tensions between competing factions.

For him, conflict in the Middle East, insurgencies in the Sahel, and their impact on livelihoods are compounded by the fundamental effects of climate change on the agricultural sector and high-risk communities worldwide.