While global military spending skyrocketed to $2.44 trillion in 2023 — $1.2 trillion among G7 countries alone — a critical yet underappreciated pillar of global stability keeps quietly crumbling: agrifood systems.
These systems govern natural resources, sustain livelihoods, and form the foundation of global economies and trade. The continued neglect of agrifood systems in regions vulnerable to instability accelerates economic collapse and fuels conflict.
Prolonged conflicts in Africa highlight this reality. In countries such as Sudan, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Chad, the degradation of agrifood systems — exacerbated by climate change and policy failures — has intensified tensions between farmers and pastoralists competing for dwindling resources. As rivers run dry and once-fertile pastures and fields wither away, desperation drives people to extremes, sparking brutal clashes and widespread displacement.
About the author
Máximo Torero Cullen
Máximo Torero Cullen is the chief economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Prior to joining FAO, he had been executive director at the World Bank Group since November 2016 and, before the bank, Torero led the Markets, Trade, and Institutions Division at the IFPRI.
