See Fig 2. Note how tight the correspondence is between FAO Food Price Index >= 190 per "constant prices", i.e. cost of food adjusted for inflation, and the emergence of civil unrest.
There is a certain level of desperation necessary to spark revolution. Food prices seem to predict unrest remarkably well in MENA countries per the study linked above. Maybe our experience in "developed" nations is so well-padded with infrastructure and consistent resupply that we are simply not enough in want. The hungry can usually find enough food to survive, because there's so much accessible excess, whether by theft or charity.
See Fig 2. Note how tight the correspondence is between FAO Food Price Index >= 190 per "constant prices", i.e. cost of food adjusted for inflation, and the emergence of civil unrest.
There is a certain level of desperation necessary to spark revolution. Food prices seem to predict unrest remarkably well in MENA countries per the study linked above. Maybe our experience in "developed" nations is so well-padded with infrastructure and consistent resupply that we are simply not enough in want. The hungry can usually find enough food to survive, because there's so much accessible excess, whether by theft or charity.
A writer at Statista provides an update for 2022 since the invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent effect on food prices around the world: https://www.statista.com/chart/27110/food-prices-political-i...