AFGHANISTAN is the least food-secure country in the world, a new report has found.
Compiled by UK-based risk-analysis firm Maplecroft, the Food Security Risk Index 2010 ranks countries according to information on nutrition and health, cereal production and imports, gross domestic product per capita, natural disasters, conflict, and the effectiveness of governments.
Afghanistan, along with Congo, Burundi, Eritrea, Sudan, Ethiopia, Angola, Liberia, Chad and Zimbabwe, are considered at "extreme risk" of food shortage.
African nations account for 36 of the 50 nations most at risk.
Finland is considered the safest nation for food supplies, followed by Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Canada and the US.
Australia and New Zealand are also ranked in the "low-risk" category.
Maplecroft chief executive Alyson Warhurst described food security as a "critical geopolitical issue".
Environmental analyst Fiona Place said Russia's ban on wheat exports and a smaller Canadian harvest were putting pressure on commodity markets.
