El Nino's Impact on Global Food Supplies Mitigated by Resilient Farming Practices

The global food system has become more resilient to this year's 'super' El Nino due to near-record inventories, technological advancements, and the emergence of key exporters such as Brazil and Russia.

Since the 1980s, world farm production has outpaced consumption and population growth, driven by higher-yielding crop varieties, greater use of fertiliser, and improved irrigation and crop protection. This has led to substantial buffers against disruptions in food supplies.

The El Nino phenomenon typically brings dryness to much of Asia and boosts rainfall across the Americas. However, near-record grain inventories, drought-tolerant seeds, better weather forecasting, precision agriculture, and improved irrigation are poised to cushion the impact.

Russia and Brazil have become significant players in global food exports. Brazil has emerged as the world's biggest soybean supplier, with exports climbing over 13-fold since 1997/98, while Russia's wheat shipments jumped to 48 million tonnes last year from roughly 1 million tonnes in 1997/98.

Researchers have developed drought-tolerant maize hybrids widely adopted across Africa and the Americas since 2015, helping farmers maintain yields during spells of dryness and erratic rainfall. Heat- and drought-tolerant wheat varieties have also gained ground in India and Australia.