New York Times highlights problems with three key factors of global food system

NEW YORK, August 24. /TASS/. The global food system relies heavily on three key factors, with challenges being observed regarding each of them, The New York Times (NYT) wrote. "The system we currently have in place depends on three things: seamless trade, cheap energy, stable climate," Evan Fraser, a professor at the University of Guelph, in Ontario, told the publication. "Today, it seems none of these assumptions are met," he noted. Uninterrupted trade in agricultural products is complicated by the fact that the Black and Red Seas, through which commodities, including wheat, are transported, are currently zones of active combat, the newspaper said. Moreover, Europe, a major agricultural producer, is experiencing extreme heat, which is reducing crop yields. In turn, Australia, a key wheat producer, is facing a fertilizer shortage due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, American farmers are contending with drought, which is also affecting crop yields. In May of this year, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization warned of the threat of a serious global food crisis due to problems stemming from the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.