Most of the world’s grain is not eaten by humans

The yellow and blue of Ukraine’s flag evokes the country’s bountiful wheat beneath a cloudless sky. Today, smoke from artillery has turned the skies grey. Tractors have been hauling heavy weapons, not grain, and a Russian naval blockade has prevented past harvests from reaching their destinations. The loss of this output has caused already high grain prices to surge. The World Food Programme warns that 47m people are at risk of hunger as a result.