El Niño's global food security threat

Concerns are mounting over El Niño's impact on global food security, with scientists warning the current cycle could contribute to more than 450,000 excess deaths worldwide due to disruptions in agriculture, disease patterns, and extreme weather. In China, attention is turning to the country's state grain reserves as a buffer against potential harvest disruptions from the weather pattern, with analysts debating whether stockpiles are sufficient to stabilize food supplies and prices if crop yields falter.

As it ran

23 September 2026

• Powerful El Nino could cause more than 450,000 deaths, scientists say Al Jazeera
• Worsening El Nino threatens Asia with drought, potentially raising food prices globally AP

22 September 2026

• Weathering the storm: can China’s grain reserves defend against El Nino? South China Morning Post