Now let’s be clear, I don’t expect a famine in America, though I do expect a lot more people to die from hunger because food prices are going to be a lot higher.

Fertilizer in America:

Note that in addition to the war, this is a policy failure at the domestic level. Farmers should be subsidized and prices should be limited to whatever is actually reasonable based on increased non-domestic costs. The first thing you do is make sure your farmers can grow food, because without food, you’ve got nothing, and as Lenin said, every country is three missed meals away from revolution. (It’s actually more than that, but the rhetorical point remains.)

Most farmers use tractors. Most tractors use diesel, and those prices are rising too. They will continue to rise because the oil which is being restricted is the best oil for creating distillates like diesel, bunker fuel (ships) and jet fuel.

In Pakistan we have the following:

Growers have expressed serious concern over the worsening condition of the agriculture sector, stating that it is already on the brink of collapse due to low returns on crops, while continuous increases in diesel and fertilizer prices are delivering a severe blow.

They pointed out that despite urea being locally produced, its prices are rising every other day, which they termed beyond understanding. The growers criticized the government for increasing levies on petroleum products, particularly diesel, allegedly to cover tax shortfalls due to inefficiencies of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

India continues to impress, not only do they have increasing diesel prices, but they’ve increased taxes on diesel to make the problem worse. (This sort of thing is why, no, India is not the next China. China has massive reserves, controls prices when necessary and disallows export when needed.)

Of course, if your country is already in trouble, you’re going to get in the neck:

The new report, From Hormuz to the Frontlines of Hunger, traces how disruption to the Strait of Hormuz and uncertainty around commercial shipping are affecting six crisis-affected countries: Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Myanmar, and Lebanon…

Key findings include:

  • Global urea prices, a key fertilizer benchmark, rose 85% between December 2025 and March 2026. 
  • In Somalia, fuel prices more than doubled, adding pressure on food, transport and water costs. 
  • In Myanmar, diesel prices rose 160% since the start of the war, affecting irrigation, milling and transport. 
  • In Sudan, gasoline costs in Khartoum rose 66% in a single week in early April, making moving food delivery to market commercially unviable. 

Pakistan is almost certain to have a famine as well. Australian farmers are completely screwed as the country only has two refineries (down from eight 20 years ago because it was cheaper to buy from China, y’know. Too bad China won’t sell to Australia when they’re shortages, which a five year old could have predicted, but hey, max profit is all we are allowed to take into account.)

So far what we’ve seen is mostly higher prices for fuel and fertilizer, though some countries already have shortages. This is the logistics overhang — tankers already full and on route, storage facilities already full, etc, etc… But that’s coming to an end right about NOW. And what will start happening is actual shortages. (Jet fuel is supposedly down to 14 days in the US, though that’s not important for agriculture.)

Rich countries will outbid poor countries, but high prices mean farmer simply can’t afford all the diesel and fertilizer they need. They can’t ship their animals to slaughterhouses, etc, etc.

The next year is going to be ugly. Even if the war ended today, which can only happen if the US declares victory and lets Iran, in fact, win, it’d be ugly. But if the closure of the Strait continues, multiple countries will have famines and almost everyone is going to have significantly increased food prices, which means a lot of poor people will go hungry and some will die. It’s great Congress has cut food stamps every few years for the past 30 odd years.

If the war does go kinetic again, Iran will destroy vast amounts of oil infrastructure, and the crisis will go on for years.

The only sane response is to end the war, but that would mean de-facto acknowledging Iran is a great power and the US is no longer a global hegemonic power. Oh, and Israel might be more restricted in its ability to mass murder civilians, with their extra special emphasis on children, doctors, nurses, paramedics and firefighters.

What good is life if Israel and America can’t commit war crimes with complete immunity? This would be a complete violation of American and Israeli values, and Trump and Congress just cannot abide the idea that they don’t get to rape, murder and/or torture anyone they want. (Which is why Trump keeps shoving Cuba around. If you can’t bully the big kid, find a small kid to beat the shit out of.)

Anyway, on a personal level, if you can, stock up on shelf-stable staples. Today is the cheapest they’re going to be for at least a couple years.

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