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Only one country in the world produces all the food it needs
BBC Science Focus
|July 2025
All other countries are vulnerable to the effects of war, natural disasters and trade disputes on their food supply
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Out of 186 countries, only Guyana, in South America, produces enough food to self-sufficiently feed all its citizens without foreign imports, according to new research.
The study, published in Nature Food, investigated how well each country could feed its population with seven food groups: fruits, vegetables, dairy, fish, meat, plant-based protein and starches.
Globally, the study found that 65 per cent of countries were overproducing meat and dairy, in terms of their population's dietary needs (as defined by the World Wildlife Fund's Livewell diet, which is designed for health and sustainability).
This story is from the July 2025 edition of BBC Science Focus.
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