Iran Conflict Triggers Global Fertiliser Shortage, Threatening 150 million Meals a Week
A Crisis of Plenty: How the Iran Conflict threatens to leave millions hungry
Deep in the rolling hills of Europe, the lush green fields of farmland often seem a world away from the strife of war-torn nations.
But for farmers like Emma Thompson, a small-time potato grower from Yorkshire, the conflict in Iran has become a matter of life and death.
Updated: May 1, 2026
A Crisis of Plenty: How the Iran Conflict threatens to leave millions hungry
Deep in the rolling hills of Europe, the lush green fields of farmland often seem a world away from the strife of war-torn nations. But for farmers like Emma Thompson, a small-time potato grower from Yorkshire, the conflict in Iran has become a matter of life and death.
Emma’s farm, which has been in her family for generations, relies heavily on a simple yet crucial input – fertiliser. Without it, her crops would wither and die, leaving her family with no income, and potentially millions of people without a meal. According to Craig Richey, CEO of Europe’s largest fertiliser maker Yara, Emma’s fate is far from unique.
The Iran conflict has sent shockwaves through the global fertiliser market, Craig warned me in a recent interview. We’re facing a shortage of around 10 billion meals a week – that’s the equivalent of feeding 150 million people. It’s a staggering figure that has left farmers like Emma, who relies on fertiliser to grow her crops, worried sick.
But how did events unfold to reach this point? As the conflict in Iran escalated, the country’s fertiliser production ground to a halt. Iran supplies around 25% of the world’s urea, a critical component of fertiliser, and its absence has created a global shortage. Prices have rocketed, forcing farmers to either reduce their yields or abandon their crops altogether.
As if the crisis wasn’t dire enough, the impact is expected to be felt far beyond rural communities. Food prices are set to soar, affecting some of the world’s most vulnerable populations – the poor and the elderly. Imagine struggling to make ends meet, and then facing the prospect of going hungry.
In response to the crisis, governments and food charities are scrambling to find a solution. Food banks are stockpiling emergency supplies, while farmers are exploring alternative ways to maintain crop yields. But as Craig Richey made clear, this is a short-term fix, not a long-term solution.
The fertiliser shortage is a symptom of a broader crisis – our reliance on a volatile global market, he warned. We need to rethink our approach to food production and find sustainable, localised solutions to ensure that everyone has access to nutritious food.
As Emma Thompson’s farm teeters on the brink of disaster, it’s a crisis that can’t be ignored. The impact of the Iran conflict on the global food system is a wake-up call for us all – a reminder that even in our affluent societies, the line between plenty and scarcity is thinner than we ever imagined.
The crippling fertiliser shortage sparked by the Iran conflict is a stark reminder that the global food system is a fragile web, with one thread of instability capable of unraveling the entire fabric. The crisis may be far more a symptom of our over-reliance on a volatile market rather than the conflict itself, forcing us to consider the true cost of our global hunger for food.
This is a developing story. More updates will follow as new information becomes available.
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