Giving Compass' Take:

•  Researchers from The University of Tasmania found that there has been a steady increase in food shocks with no decline over the past decade.

• Food shocks are the unexpected loss of crops, livestock, or fish due to extreme weather or geopolitical conditions. How can donors provide support for farmers who have experienced food shocks? How can agricultural communities prepare for them?

• Read more about how climate change affects crops. 

Food shocks, or sudden losses of crops, livestock or fish, due to the combination of extreme weather conditions and geopolitical events like war, increased from 1961 to 2013, said researchers at The University of Tasmania.  Researchers saw a steady increase in shock frequency over each decade with no declines.

The report, published in Nature Sustainability, said that protective measures are needed to avoid future disasters.

Extreme weather events are expected to worsen over time because of climate change, the report said, and when countries already struggling to feed their populations experience conflict, the risk of mass-hunger increases.

As the frequency of shocks continues to increase, it leaves what Cottrell called "narrowing windows" between shocks, making it nearly impossible to recover and prepare for the next one.

The report said trade-dependent countries must find ways to store food in preparation for inevitable shocks elsewhere. Countries must invest in "climate-smart" practices like diversifying plant and animal breeds and varieties and enhance soil quality to speed recovery following floods and droughts, the report said.

Read the full article about food shocks by Kate Ryan at Global Citizen