The drought in Russia has tightened the global supply of wheat. Another drought in Brazil has drastically lowered the level of the Amazon River. Sugar, orange juice, and coffee prices are moving up because of the fear of a lower crop for this major exporting country. Prices for food in India and China are moving up at rates more than 10%. Other Asian countries experience similar inflation. In India, each year the hope is for a normal monsoon. If there is less rain than expected, there will be anticipated shortages of water.
Overall, I think it is important to understand and track these trends. Further, new technology must be developed to increase food production using a smaller footprint. This means raising productivity and tracking losses from the field to the consumer.
These developments mean a coordinated program MIT involving agriculture, energy, and water makes a great deal of sense.
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