Even as hunger declines around the world, food insecurity remains prevalent in rural communities. Restoring soil health, expanding access to new technologies, strengthening land rights, and upgrading public infrastructure are essential to boost agricultural productivity and protect rural livelihoods. By Esther Ngumbi

Perhaps the most unsettling lesson from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is the gap between what we knew and how we prepared. Countries should use whatever easing of immediate pressures occurs to strengthen resilience before the next shock arrives. By Máximo Torero

Around a third of globally traded urea passes through the Strait of Hormuz and importing countries are less self-sufficient than they appear. By Nima Shokri and Salome M. S. Shokri-Kuehni

From the Ifugao highlands to Morocco’s Anti-Atlas Mountains, Indigenous terrace farming illustrates how long-standing, locally adapted practices capture water, conserve soil and diversify crops to withstand intensifying climate extremes. By Stephen Acabado