News

The Iran war has disrupted critical supply chains and driven up the cost of energy and fertilizer, both essential agricultural inputs, sparking fears of another global food crisis. With input costs soaring, fertilizer exports from the Gulf countries suspended, and production facilities facing unprecedented challenges, the world’s ability to maintain stable food supplies is increasingly […]

A recent interview with a woman farmer in Kenya revealed the multiple challenges of higher fuel and fertilizer prices stemming from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. As fuel prices have doubled, she said, farmers have been forced to sell their produce at higher prices to compensate for the increased cost of transporting goods […]

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the outbreak of the Iran war on February 28, 2026, put roughly one-third of global seaborne fertilizer trade at risk. Suddenly, production across the broader Persian Gulf region had no clear ocean exit. Focusing on two major types of fertilizer, urea and diammonium phosphate (DAP), the closure […]

The attack on Iran by U.S. and Israeli forces and Iranian retaliation against U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf have roiled energy markets by disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz—the Gulf’s only sea passage to the open ocean. About 27% of the world’s oil exports, 20% of global liquified natural gas (LNG) exports, and 20%-30% of global fertilizer exports, […]

Over the past 50 years, the world’s food systems have changed dramatically. Throughout, policy research has played a crucial role in providing evidence and analysis to inform decision-making that supports agricultural growth, better livelihoods, and improved food security and nutrition. The 2025 Global Food Policy Report examines the evolution and impact of food policy research and assesses […]