How the world can avoid millions going hungry when supply chains collapse

Phys · May 16, 2026 · 792 words · By Jasper Verschuur; Paul Behrens

Food Security Geopolitical Instability Sustainable Agriculture Energy Transition

The article discusses the vulnerability of global food systems to geopolitical conflicts and supply chain disruptions, specifically citing tensions in the Middle East. It proposes four strategies for increasing resilience: transitioning to green ammonia, increasing national food stockpiles, shifting diets toward plant proteins, and electrifying transport to free up agricultural land.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-world-millions-hungry-chains-collapse.html

analyticsAnalysis

20%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyDetected Techniques

warning

Loaded Language 60% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

warning

Appeal to Fear 70% confidence

Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

11 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 5

verified Verified By Reference 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info Single Source 1

schedule Pending 1

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“Millions more people will face hunger in the coming months if the conflict in the Middle East is not resolved soon, the UN has warned.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results confirm that the UN (specifically the WFP) has warned that millions more (specifically up to 45 million) could face acute hunger if the Middle East conflict persists.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Middle East and North Africa (MENA), also referred to as West Asia and North Africa (WANA) or South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA), is a geographic region which comprises the Middle East (also…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East_and_North_Africa

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of modern conflicts ensuing in the geographic and political region known as the Middle East. The "Middle East" is traditionally defined as the Fertile Crescent (Mesopotamia), Levant, an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_modern_conflicts_in_th…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Middle East is a geo-political region that is generally defined as encompassing all of Egypt and all of West Asia except for the Caucasus. It roughly corresponds with what was historically referre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“The price of energy... has risen sharply due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including a Wikipedia entry regarding a 2026 crisis and news-style articles, state that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has led to rising oil and gasoline prices.

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web search NEUTRAL — Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a major maritime choke point for world energy trade, has been largely blocked by Iran since 28 February 2026, when the United States and Israel launched …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Strait_of_Hormuz_crisis

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web search NEUTRAL — Rising oil and gasoline prices have been the center of attention since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. But that immediate effect tells only part of the story.
https://www.gatech.edu/news/2026/04/03/why-strait-hormuz-mor…

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web search NEUTRAL — The risk of the Strait of Hormuz being closed is not new. During the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, both countries attacked oil tankers trying to pass through the Gulf, and the United States had to send …
https://www.faf.ae/home/2026/3/13/when-the-world-runs-out-of…

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“The price of fertilizer, much of it made in the Gulf states and exported via the same stretch of water, has also soared.”

CORROBORATED

Evidence from Fortune and TheBoard.world confirms that fertilizer prices have soared due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, noting the disruption of supply chains from the Gulf states.

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web search NEUTRAL — Geopolitical turmoil is driving fertilizer prices up 30%, forcing tough crop choices, former USDA chief economist Seth Meyer told Fortune. “A bad decision this year could be pretty costly.”
https://fortune.com/2026/03/12/fertilizer-prices-strait-of-h…

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web search NEUTRAL — A Hormuz closure doesn't just spike gas prices — it destroys fertilizer supply chains. Trace every step from tanker to grocery bill with real numbers.
https://theboard.world/articles/energy/strait-hormuz-food-pr…

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“the cost of food around the world will increase, just as it did after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 (both countries were big exporters of food and fertilizer).”

CORROBORATED

AP News and statements from President Biden confirm that Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of food/wheat and that the 2022 invasion caused global food price hikes and shortages.

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web search NEUTRAL — A Russia-installed official in southern Ukraine has confirmed that grain from last year’s harvest there is being sent to buyers in Russia, according to a report Monday by Russia’s Tass state news agen…
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-moscow-black-sea-5…

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web search NEUTRAL — President Biden warned that the Russian invasion of Ukraine will likely cause food shortages in some parts of the world because both countries are major exporters of wheat, in remarks to reporters in …
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/biden-warns-of-food-shor…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Russia—Ukraine war has exacerbated an energy crisis that directly affects the costs of heating, cooling, lighting and mobility and indirectly pushed up the costs of other goods and services throug…
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/energy/russia-ukraine-war-has…

verified

“Ammonia is a key ingredient in nitrogen-based fertilizer.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and fertilizer guides confirm that ammonia is the result of nitrogen fixation and is the primary component/form of nitrogen in nitrogen-based fertilizers.

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web search NEUTRAL — Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular dinitrogen is converted into ammonia. It occurs both biologically and abiologically in chemical industries. Biological nitrogen fixation or d…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_fixation

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web search NEUTRAL — Ammoniacal nitrogen fertilizer refers to any fertilizer whose main nitrogen component is supplied in the ammonium (NH4+) form. This distinguishes them from purely nitrate-based fertilizers, where the …
https://farmonaut.com/blogs/ammoniacal-nitrogen-ammonium-nit…

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web search NEUTRAL — Ammonium, labeled as "ammoniacal nitrogen" on fertilizer labels, is a readily available form of nitrogen. While ammonium is water-soluble, it readily attaches to organic matter particles, which helps …
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/understanding-the-forms-of-nit…

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“The first green ammonia plants are now being constructed in sunny places such as Chile, Morocco and Australia.”

CORROBORATED

The Ammonia Energy Association and Worley Limited confirm that green ammonia plants are being developed or constructed in Australia and Morocco. While Chile is not explicitly detailed in the snippets, the general trend and specific mentions of Australia and Morocco corroborate the claim's core.

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web search NEUTRAL — Green ammonia pilot plants began operations in the UK and Japan, and new demonstration plants were announced in Australia, Denmark, Morocco, and the Netherlands (more, yet to be announced, are in deve…
https://ammoniaenergy.org/articles/green-ammonia-plants-comm…

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web search NEUTRAL — Worley Limited, an Australian engineering professional services company, has commenced work on a Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) for the construction of two major green ammonia projects in coopera…
https://en.yabiladi.com/articles/details/153445/australia-s-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Green ammonia is a carbon-neutral version of standard ammonia, created by combining nitrogen with green hydrogen. It replaces fossil fuel-based production to serve as a sustainable fertiliser, a zero-…
https://www.agbi.com/renewable-energy/2026/05/jordan-signs-1…

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“Some places (Sweden, China and India, for example) take a longer-term approach [to stocking food].”

SINGLE SOURCE

Evidence confirms Sweden is stockpiling food. However, the evidence for China and India in the provided snippets is either irrelevant (drone delivery) or missing, meaning the claim as a group is not fully corroborated by the provided evidence.

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web search NEUTRAL — Sweden is pushing ahead with plans to strengthen what it calls its 'total defence' strategy by stockpiling food for the first time since the Cold War as fears of a conflict with Russia loom.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/sweden-stockpiles-f…

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web search NEUTRAL — The growth of the long-term food storage market in the United States is primarily driven by increasing consumer focus on preparedness, food security, and health consciousness. Rising disposable income…
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/united-states-long-term-food-…

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web search NEUTRAL — China is living in the future, I didn't think I'd ever say this but we got a drone delivered lunch but it wasn't all smooth sailing so make sure to watch us ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCOXkBX_nhg

verified

“Plant proteins such as legumes (beans, lentils, peas) require much less fertilizer (they can even "create" their own fertilizer in their roots through nitrogen fixation).”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and agricultural sources confirm that legumes perform biological nitrogen fixation in their roots, reducing the need for external nitrogen fertilizer.

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web search NEUTRAL — Plant proteins such as legumes (beans, lentils, peas) require much less fertiliser (they can even “create” their own fertiliser in their roots through nitrogen fixation). Raw beans and pulses in pots.
https://theconversation.com/how-the-world-can-avoid-millions…

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web search NEUTRAL — Additionally, some legumes, including lentils, chickpeas, cowpeas, grass peas, and lablab, are well suited to growing in hotter climates. In this document, we explore the potential of legumes in mitig…
https://www.globalbean.eu/publications/legumes-and-the-clima…

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“the crops used to produce these fuels (such as corn and rapeseed) now occupy an area at least the size of Italy.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm or deny the land area used for biofuel crops relative to the size of Italy.

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“in the UK, biofuel powers less than 7% of the country's transport needs”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the percentage of UK transport powered by biofuels.

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“previous global spikes in food prices (in 2007, 2010 and 2022) did not lead to significant changes.”

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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.

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How the world can avoid millions going hungry when supply chains collapse

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