The head of the World Food Programme has warned that the conflict in Ukraine could cause global food prices to go up.
Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of basic foodstuff, and the war has already hit crop production, driving up prices.
It was putting more people at risk of starving.
He said that when you think that hell can't get any worse, it does.
Russia and Ukraine, once dubbed the breadbasket of Europe, export about a quarter of the world's wheat and half of the world's oil. A lot of corn is sold by Ukraine.
War could double global wheat prices, according to analysts.
The number of people facing potential starvation had already risen from 80 million to 276 million in four years prior to Russia's invasion, according to Mr. Beasley.
The current crisis could affect some countries due to the high proportion of grains they import from the Black Sea region.
50% of Lebanon's grains come from Ukraine. He said that Yemen, Syria, Tunisia, and I could go on and on because of the country of Ukraine.
You are going from being a breadbasket to having to give out bread to them. It is an incredible reverse of reality.
Yara International said a shortage could lead to a global food crisis.
Ivanna Dorichenko, a Ukrainian lawyer, said that some farmers in the country abandoned their fields in order to fight the Russians.
She said that the men who need to work on the land are defending the land. If they don't defend the land, there will be nothing to work on at a later stage, and you don't have a single person who is trying to help.
The war wreaked havoc on supply lines used to export agricultural produce. All commercial shipping was suspended by the Ukrainian military after the Russian invasion.
The vessels cannot leave the water. It is a war zone. There is nothing which can be shipped from Ukraine right now.
She said it meant huge losses for businesses, but also humanitarian efforts, because Ukraine could no longer send goods to regions such as South East Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
With food price inflation already at crisis point in some countries prior to the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, South African economist Wandile Sihlobo said he was worried about the potential consequences for grain-importing nations in Africa and beyond.
Mr Sihlobo, chief economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa, told the BBC that there could be shortages of essential crops in the short term.
Depending on the length and severity of the war, you could begin to see shortages of shipments that come to the African continent. Particularly in the North African countries.
The global food price index was at multiple highs at the start of the year. This crisis adds to the difficult environment for consumers in the developing world.
Yara International, one of the world's biggest fertiliser companies, warned on Monday that the conflict could hit its industry, further affecting food prices.
Fertiliser prices had already gone up. Potash and phosphate are key ingredients in fertilisers, which enable plants and crops to grow.
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