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Message: [QUOTE="Nehanda, post: 27362, member: 2262"] African leaders have cared more about growing their own food since Russia's war with Ukraine started. They've seen how quickly global trade can break down, said Alvaro Lario, who runs the International Fund for Agricultural Development. Ethiopia grows more wheat these days, and West African nations produce more rice. Country leaders across Africa worry much more about food supply problems than before. Lario's organization just received $1.4 billion in new funding. He talked about these changes during an interview in Cape Town. He asked how reliable global food chains really are, noting that many African leaders prefer local solutions. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, it cut off wheat supplies from the Black Sea area that many African countries depend on. As a result, fertilizer prices shot up. Donald Trump has threatened to tax crop imports to America. China already charges extra for American farm products. Lario pointed out that countries everywhere put their needs first these days. He called it a tough environment for increasing trade between nations. African countries might spend $110 billion on food imports this year. According to the African Development Bank, their agricultural trade deficit reached $36.3 billion in 2021. Lario urged African nations to grow more food and buy more from neighboring countries. He said leaders face important choices about where they want food independence versus self-sufficiency. Lario questioned why it makes sense to import food from across the planet when closer options exist. [/QUOTE]

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