“What we are witnessing today is not just a geopolitical crisis, it is a systemic shock to the global agricultural and food system,” Qu Dongyu said at an event in Rome, according to a press release from the FAO.
The biggest impacts may not be immediate, Qu said. Instead, he sees the major risk as several years of crop problems caused by fertilizer shortages or by skyrocketing energy and transportation costs.
The FAO has previously warned of the consequences of the conflict in the Middle East.
"We need to act early, before the humanitarian and economic costs rise," Qu said.
