Food Scarcity Causes Conflicts — But So Can Food Abundance. Here’s Why.

Nov 23, 2016 | Ore Koren
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For a new U.S. administration facing global security challenges, the relationship between food security — what the World Bank defines as “access to enough food for an active, healthy life” — and armed conflict deserves serious consideration. As new research shows, even an abundance of food resources can cause conflict.

Recent studies theorize that in Syria, where an estimated 250,000 to 400,000 people have died since 2011, the drought that preceded the civil war played a significant role in fueling political tensions. Increases in food prices caused by drought were also a factor in the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings in Tunisia, Jordan, Yemen and Egypt.

The fact that prolonged food shortages can lead to drastic, violent behavior is becoming increasingly evident. The relationship between food and war is both complex and multidimensional. Food scarcity, however, is only one aspect of food security. Whether people have easy access to food resources is also important. So even in countries where plenty of food is available, a large share of the population might still go hungry.