FOOD INSECURITY: Global dependence on food imports leaves countries vulnerable.

摘要

Global grain imports have increased more than fivefold over the past half century, stoking fears that countries have become too dependent on the vagaries of international markets for their food. If prices rise, or wild weather prompts countries to impose grain export bans, as Russia did in 2010, nations heavily dependent on imports could face crisis.More than a third of countries import at least 25 percent of their grains, an increase of 57 percent since 1961, says Gary Gardner, a researcher at the Worldwatch Institute in Washington. Thirteen countries were 100 percent dependent on imports for their grain supply by 2013, an 18 percent increase from 1961, says Gardner, author of the report, "Food Trade and Self-Sufficiency" published earlier this vear.