People grapple with rising food prices after calamities: study

People affected by flood, drought and cyclones struggle with growing food prices for up to 8 months after the disaster, a new study has found. The new data also demonstrated that higher levels of acute under-nutrition are emerging in the wake of such climate-related events. The research, which sheds light on the impact of climate-related shocks and stresses on food security and nutrition in rural Bangladesh, was presented on Sunday in Dhaka. The UN World Food Programme (WFP), Helen Keller International, the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies and the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex/UK jointly conducted the research with the funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). It found strong evidences that the prices of staple foods in communities affected by climate-related shocks are higher than in non-affected communities. ‘And this lasts for up to 8 months after a flood or a drought and up to six months in the case of a cyclone,’ according to the report. ‘This gives us a new lens to view our conventional disaster response and rehabilitation approach and offers a new window for addressing the prolonged effects on affected communities,’ said WFP Representative Christa Räder at the launch, according to a news agency.