Commonwealth Policy Center

The headline of a recent Time Magazine story said: “Coronavirus pandemic will cause global famines of ‘biblical proportions.’ The executive director of the World Food Program (WFP) David Beasley, said that in a worst-case scenario, famines could take place in “about three dozen countries.” Beasley told the UN’s security council. “While dealing with a Covid-19 pandemic, we are also on the brink of a hunger pandemic…. [and] there’s a real danger that more people could potentially die from the economic impact of Covid-19 than from the virus itself.” That’s a sobering word from a leading expert on food security. However, according to Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles, there’s no cause for alarm here in the U.S. since our ag industry is strong and resilient.