What's New

The economic, political, social, and nutritional impacts of food price volatility and price spikes are clear. In the 2007-08 food price crisis, 33 countries saw violent riots and social unrest as a result of rising food prices; in 2011, increasing food prices have been at least partially blamed for political turnover in Tunisia and Egypt, as well as riots in several other countries.

The FAO Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture (GIEWS) has released a food security brief for North Africa, citing regional unrest and rising global commodities prices as the rationale for a WFP-led emergency food aid operation. The report discusses the production and import/export situation in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia.