One of the “hot” military situations receiving the most attention in the world today is the war between Russia and Ukraine. Although I did not directly attend or speak or have any opinions on the military and political issues of these two countries, I still wonder if it will affect the poor and the soon-to-be-poor people because of this war.
One of the most obvious effects is on the food supplies that fighting brought to Ukraine and the slowing down of agricultural production came to a halt. Ukrainian farmers have been forced to abandon their fields as millions evacuate, fight, or try to survive amid the war-induced unrest.
Many ports have been closed to export wheat and other agricultural products around the world for bread, pasta, and animal feed. In addition to Ukraine -Russian War, the world may also experience disruptions in agricultural exports due to Western sanctions.
This situation could create food insecurity and push more people into poverty in many countries where people’s diets consist mainly of government-subsidized bread. In Europe, officials are also bracing for the possibility of a shortage of agricultural products imported from Ukraine and a rise in the price of animal feed – which will also push up meat and dairy prices if farmers transfer costs to the customer.
“A war would cause a food and energy crisis. Emerging market countries, especially Turkey, Egypt, and Lebanon, depend heavily on wheat from Russia and Ukraine. These countries are facing high inflation. The poor are the biggest victims,” said Dan Wang, chief economist at Hang Seng Bank in Shanghai, China.
Russia and Ukraine together account for nearly a third of the world’s wheat and barley exports. Ukraine is also a major supplier of corn and the world’s number one powerhouse in sunflower oil, used in food processing. The Russo-Ukrainian war is likely to reduce food supplies as prices continue at their highest levels since 2011.
This will lead to food shortages, high food prices, and push the poor on a difficult path in struggling to make ends meet. As we all know, the poor are always the biggest victims.
When food becomes scarce, its price will skyrocket in the market or throughout the markets. The rich will have money for enough food in times of war, and the poor will be left behind. When the poor have no money to compete with the rich and the government is busy with the war the poor will be left alone in poverty.
Not only that, when men are the ones who are mobilized to participate in the war, who will become the main force involved in food production such as harvesting crops, transporting food on their behalf? This shortage of personnel also led to the closure of a series of factories and food supply chains in many countries. Even in Vietnam during the war years, there was a famine and 2 million Vietnamese people died.
War has caused consequences that even we can see with the naked eye, not only the sacrifice of soldiers, the loss of people but also the damage of a nation, and an economy. Therefore, I hope that no matter what the political situation is, the war will soon end so that the government can take care of all people, whether poor or rich, so that people can return to a normal life.
At Project Sprouts, we realize that we can not solve all the problems of poverty in a situation like this. But we can seek to make a difference in the lives of needy children by giving them school supplies and encouraging them to continue their education; we can give them winter coats, boots, and blankets to help them stay warm during the cold winter months.
Project Sprouts would love to have you be a part of our community and help us to help worthy children in North Vietnam. We cannot solve all the world’s problems, but we can do our part to help poor kids grow by giving school supplies, winter coats, boots, and other supplies.
You can find out more about Project Sprouts by clicking here or going to our give now page to donate by clicking here. As we are a grassroots organization, all funds go to help those in need.
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