The World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO), which represents agricultural organisations around the world, has warned that the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East is already affecting oil, gas and fertiliser markets, with direct consequences for agricultural production and global food security.
According to the organisation, tensions around the Strait of Hormuz — a strategic route for global energy and fertiliser trade — are causing supply disruptions, higher input costs, and rising logistics and maritime transport expenses due to reduced vessel availability and higher fuel prices.
The WFO warns that this situation is creating growing uncertainty for farmers, limiting their ability to plan and invest at a key moment in the production cycle. The organisation notes that rising fertiliser costs, combined with stable crop prices, are significantly reducing sector margins.
It also warns that reduced or suboptimal use of agricultural inputs could lead to lower yields and a future drop in production, increasing pressure on food systems and contributing to global price volatility.
The WFO stresses that the effects are not uniform. In import-dependent regions, particularly parts of Africa and Asia, rising costs and input shortages could lead to greater food insecurity. Meanwhile, in export-oriented systems, farmers are facing higher production costs without corresponding increases in selling prices.
“Farmers are already being forced to adjust production due to rising energy and fertiliser costs and increasing uncertainty,” said WFO President Arnold Puech d’Alissac, who warned that when inputs become unpredictable, production becomes unpredictable as well — and so does global food security.
Against this backdrop, the organisation calls for urgent measures to stabilise markets, ensure access to affordable fertilisers and energy, improve market transparency, and provide financial support to affected producers.
The WFO also stresses the need to strengthen the long-term resilience of the agri-food system by promoting local and regional production, sustainable fertiliser solutions, and greater integration of renewable energy in agriculture.
The organisation concludes that global food security depends on farmers’ ability to produce under stable and predictable conditions, warning that any weakening of this stability poses a direct risk to the entire global food system.
