A new Food Security Risk Index

A new Food Security Risk Index has been released by a British firm that provides risk assessment to businesses looking to invest in other countries. The index ranks all 148 nations to show what danger each country faces in future food shortages or price shocks. The firm Maplecroft says that the United States, France, Canada, Germany and the Czech Republic have the least amount of risk.

For our snippet, we turn to the countries on top of the list that are the most vulnerable to shortages. From this AFP article that we found at The Province we read more about the insecure nations.

The five countries topping the risk list -- Angola, Haiti, Mozambique, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo -- are all mired in poverty, but other factors also boost vulnerability.

Nearly three decades of civil war in Angola has displaced millions and wreaked havoc on agricultural infrastructure.

DR Congo and Burundi have also been ravaged by conflict, along with corruption and poor governance.

Mozambique is, in addition, buffeted by weather-related natural disasters, while politically unstable Haiti depends on foreign aid for nearly half of its food needs.

The three most populous countries in South Asia also face food precariousness: Pakistan, ranked 11th on the index, is at "extreme risk," while Bangladesh and India are both at "high risk," ranked 20th and 25th respectively.

"India may be one of the world's key emerging economies, but it is finding itself under increasing pressure from food security issues," the report concluded.