FAO Podcasts

The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed since 28 February. As of 13 April, vessels are still not moving in meaningful numbers. The last ships to leave before the blockade are now reaching their destinations, meaning the real supply gap is only beginning to materialise.
 
Key messages:
 
• Before the conflict began, the strait carried 30-35% of global crude oil, 20% of natural gas, and up to 30% of internationally traded fertilizers.
 
• Food commodity prices have not risen yet because existing stocks are absorbing the shock. But if the strait traffic does not resume, the shocks to energy and fertilizer markets will translate into higher commodity and retail prices later in 2026 and into 2027.
 
• The crop calendar is the key constraint. As planting seasons begin, farmers must choose between absorbing higher input costs or reducing fertilizer and other input use. They need targeted, timebound support, as do low-income countries relying on food and fertilizer imports.
 
• The disruption is not contained to the Gulf or South Asia. It is moving from east to west and from south to north. Export restrictions by major producers risk compounding the supply shortfall.
 
• With diplomatic solutions and the right policy, there is still time to contain the current situation and prevent it from turning into a global food crisis.
 
This episode was recorded on 11 April 2025.

Host: Katrin Park
Produced by: Eduardo De La Chica
Copyright: FAO

In this episode, we sit down with David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics and Policy Division at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 

David shares his journey as a trade economist and how it has shaped his approach to today's agrifood systems. We discuss the role of trade in food security and the true cost of the food we consume. 

We also dive into the art of policymaking in complex systems, from balancing competing priorities to managing unintended consequences to navigate difficult tradeoffs. 

0:57 How Does a Trade Economist End Up at FAO? 

6:14 How Does Trade Affect Food Security and Nutrition? 

8:45 Is Local Food Actually Better? 

11:57 Does Trade Make You Vulnerable? 

17:53 Does Trade Keep Peace? 

24:28 Are We Giving Away Our Resources? 

33:14 What Is the True Cost of Food? 

36:43 Can Subsidies Fix Agrifood Systems? 

44:43 On Navigating Complex Tradeoffs 

50:13 Towards a Global Social Contract

Middle East is increasing risks for global energy, fertilizer, and agrifood systems.
Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical chokepoints for oil, gas, and fertilizer shipments, are already pushing up energy and agricultural input costs worldwide. Because energy and fertilizer markets are closely linked to food production, these shocks can quickly spread through global agrifood systems. At the same time, possible shifts toward biofuel production could further increase food price volatility. Import-dependent countries, particularly in Africa and Asia, are especially exposed to these risks. 
In the short term, measures such as diversifying trade routes, strengthening market monitoring, supporting farmers, and providing targeted assistance to vulnerable countries can help stabilize supply chains. 
Diplomatic efforts to ensure the safe reopening of the Strait of Hormuz also remain critical for protecting global energy markets and food security. 
Timestamps:
00:34 Impacts of the conflict so far
03:48 Regional impacts
08:01 How long can the system absorb the shock?
13:19 Economic modelling scenarios
18:03 How this conflict differs from Ukraine
22:52 Policy recommendations 
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In this episode of The Work We Do, we speak with Lauren Phillips, Director of Partnerships and UN Collaboration at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, about why women and youth are central to the transformation of agrifood systems.
The conversation draws on FAO's flagship reports to examine women's roles across agrifood systems, persistent gaps in access to land, finance, and opportunities, and why progress remains uneven despite decades of policy reform. We discuss the International Year of the Woman Farmer, youth participation in policymaking and the global challenge of youth unemployment, including why young women are disproportionately affected.
The episode also explores the financing gap in agrifood systems and the economic case for investing in women and youth as drivers of inclusive growth, resilience, and food security.
Key reports discussed in this episode:
-              The Status of Women in Agrifood Systems (2023)
https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/cc5343en/
-              The Status of Youth in Agrifood Systems (2025) https://www.fao.org/3/cd5619en/online/cd5619en.html
-              The Unjust Climate (2024) https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cc9680en
-              Financing Food for a Better Future (2025)
https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/e279d507-3ac2-4f0b-a775-9937d97976b8

In this first episode of The Work We Do, we speak with Máximo Torero, Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Máximo served as the Director of Markets, Trade and Institutions Division at IFPRI and later as an Executive Director for the World Bank representing several South American countries.
The conversation explores how agrifood systems, global markets, financing, and macroeconomic stability are deeply interconnected, and why food security is not only a humanitarian concern but a central pillar of economic and political resilience, promoting national security. Máximo explains how countries can better protect themselves against food crises through smarter investment, early action, and risk-informed policies, and why prevention is far more effective than crisis response.
The episode also unpacks the links between hunger, migration, and conflict, and the role international institutions play in stabilizing agrifood systems and reducing systemic risk in an increasingly volatile global environment. Máximo also offers a glimpse into how his upbringing in Peru and his early years as a researcher have shaped his career and worldview. 
 
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