What has Caused This Burgeoning Food Crisis?

splattttttt · 05-08-2008, 06:50 AM

In the year 2007, wheat prices rose 77 percent and rice 16 percent. These were some of the sharpest price hikes ever. But this year the speed of change has accelerated even further. Since January 2008, the price of rice has soared just over 140 percent.

Says Josette Sheeran, head of the UN World Food Programme, “… This crisis is different. It is occurring in many countries simultaneously, the first time that has happened since the early 1970s. And it is affecting people not usually hit by famines.”

So what’s happening?

There’s a lot of talk about the rising demand for biofuel being the culprit, as more farmers are now growing biofuel products rather than food, spurred on by various governmental incentives. But that’s certainly not the one and only factor fueling this world-wide problem.

Other factors that have been pointed out, in various articles spread across the past weeks, include:

* Improved financial situation of people in China and India has increased demand for western-style diets rich in grains, meat and dairy
* Export quotas by large grain producers, coupled with panic-buying by grain importers
* Trade imbalances among nations
* Population growth, adding 78 million people per year
* Global warming. Unfavorable climatic conditions in 2007 devastated crops in Australia and reduced harvest in other European countries. Southern Africa and the western U.S. have been plagued with severe drought.
* Unsustainable use of land and water
* Rising oil prices, as fossil fuels are needed throughout the agricultural process, from running tractors, to fertilizer production, to shipping

A few others, from non-traditional media outlets, bypass all these “excuses” and point the finger directly at the similarities between our current situation and previous man-made famines for the end purpose of mass genocide.

In January 2008, the BBC broadcast a segment in their "The Things We Forgot To Remember - Listen to The Bengal Famine", featuring Economics Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Sen, among others, speaking about the 1943-1945 Bengal famine in which 6-7 million people perished when the price of rice doubled, and then finally quadrupled. However, that famine, as now, was not caused by a food deficit per say, but rather by the callous politics in the area at the time.

Personally, one of the things that bother me most after reading through multiple articles on this issue, are the frequent references to the need for “higher yield crops,” rather than the development of sustainable agriculture. Although the names of any particular biotech companies are never mentioned, it walks, talks and reeks like poorly cloaked Monsanto propaganda.

Monsanto’s Rich Harvest

Monsanto’s genetically altered seeds tripled their first-quarter earnings, from $90 million to $256 million, according to BusinessWeek in January 2008. Their GM seeds have been a prime beneficiary of the growing demand for food and alternative fuel sources.

I have a sinking feeling that Monsanto will eventually ride in like a knight in shining armor, offering to end the world-wide plight with its high-yield spawn – those one-time-use-only seeds with dubious genetic signatures that may or may not kill anything that’s left. They already began that project in mid-2007, with the Gates and Rockefeller foundations donating $150 million worth of GMO crops to “reform agriculture and end hunger in Africa.”

That would surely be one of the absolute worst case scenarios we could possibly face, as GM crops are bound to do far more harm than good, both to the biodiversity of the planet and your individual health, through the unchecked introduction of foreign genetic material and hardier pests.

going_home · 05-08-2008, 06:59 AM

The scam that is ethanol is a huge contributor .

MassDestruction00 · 05-08-2008, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by going_home

The scam that is ethanol is a huge contributor .

either that or fuel prices are at an all time high, and you are being told that it is corns fault by the oil companies to keep you under there thumb, if it is all ethanols fault, why is the Government still paying a large number of farmers NOT to plant crops?

Painthappy · 05-08-2008, 08:15 AM

Well, there was a show on Genetically Modified foods and how you probably eat it already and don't know about it. They tossed out something like 58% of wheat products sold in stores already uses Genetically modified products.

Personally... I have no problem with it. I see it as nothing different than that Monk Mendel did on his own cross pollinating and creating hybrids to withstand harsher climates, more yield, etc.

Truly this is the type of stuff that is really needed so certain crops can survive in harsher climates to feed more people in other countries.

As for food prices?

It's just a direct result of higher prices around the board. It's pretty simple. It costs more to RUN equipment to dig, fertilize, and then harvest. Then, you need to transport, run more equipment to bag and box, and then transport again to the market... That alone raises prices.

Corn is being used for ethanol, and driving up corn prices... But corn is also feed. This now-high-priced feed, drives up your initial bottom line costs. Things like chicken which trickle down to eggs, etc.

Ethanol is also a poor substitute. Ethanol in its purest form is ONLY E85 (or 85 octane). States that mandate that you use 10% in the fuel mix are screwing you... New Hampshire is one of the screwed up states right now. You take 93 Octane fuel and mix it with E85, well then, you no longer have 93 Octane now do you? You're paying more for less octane, and less mileage.

Ethanol was a sham from the start, and you can probably go back and read about me saying so... But politicians jumped on the Look-at-me-I'm-going-green-and-my-constituents-will-love-me band wagon. Without ever thinking of the consequences of their immediate actions.

Ethanol has been around for years, heck, even my 1999 Ford Ranger had an engine that would accept 100% ethanol back then. But Ethanol is a poor substitute and no one used it. It's not only because of the crop thing... But because of the E85 at it's best thing, and because it takes too much fuel to create 1 gallon of ethanol. The ratio is very poor.

As for "non-traditional media outlets, bypass all these “excuses” and point the finger directly at the similarities between our current situation and previous man-made famines for the end purpose of mass genocide."

That's just plain silly, and there is a reason people are called "nut jobs". That would be the prime example of one.

Robertsr · 05-08-2008, 08:17 AM

Oooo! Multiple conflicting conspiracy theories!

Azzy · 05-08-2008, 08:22 AM

Why post when Carter pretty much has it on the nose?

Talfuchre · 05-08-2008, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robertsr

Oooo! Multiple conflicting conspiracy theories!

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g2...popcorn4jj.gif

When you have a choice between multiple conspiracy theories - it is because the mob, the Nazi's, and the CIA want to confuse you.

TF

RealtorTommy · 05-08-2008, 08:37 AM

I believe ethanol is just one cause of many.....But paying farmers not to plant certain crops might have caught up and bite us in the butt.....Droughts in other countries are also a problem either man-made or natural...US is importing more food then ever before and with the dollar low the prices will keep going higher.

Lrrpie-CT · 05-08-2008, 08:51 AM

A billion Chinese and a billion Indians moving up and out of abject poverty and near-starvation?

splattttttt · 05-08-2008, 08:55 AM

It happened long ago. Way before modern times. Power hungry moguls will always control us. All we can do is sit with our hands tied behind our backs.
I'm not the long winded type, but this is one subject I would love to run into the ground, dragging the culprits along till they're all buried along with it.

I don't often say this, or use this phrase lightly... But there will be a revolution. It's gonna suck bad. But in the end, governments will crumble.
Hopefully they will be replaced by a more humane ideology? But some how I doubt it.
It happened long ago. Way before modern times.
It will continue.

As far as a substitute for petroleum concerned... Will the person that will turn water in to energy become the new prophet?

05-08-2008, 06:50 AM	#1 (permalink)
splattttttt MCB Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Bean Town, U.S.A. Posts: 2,805	What has Caused This Burgeoning Food Crisis? In the year 2007, wheat prices rose 77 percent and rice 16 percent. These were some of the sharpest price hikes ever. But this year the speed of change has accelerated even further. Since January 2008, the price of rice has soared just over 140 percent. Says Josette Sheeran, head of the UN World Food Programme, “… This crisis is different. It is occurring in many countries simultaneously, the first time that has happened since the early 1970s. And it is affecting people not usually hit by famines.” So what’s happening? There’s a lot of talk about the rising demand for biofuel being the culprit, as more farmers are now growing biofuel products rather than food, spurred on by various governmental incentives. But that’s certainly not the one and only factor fueling this world-wide problem. Other factors that have been pointed out, in various articles spread across the past weeks, include: * Improved financial situation of people in China and India has increased demand for western-style diets rich in grains, meat and dairy * Export quotas by large grain producers, coupled with panic-buying by grain importers * Trade imbalances among nations * Population growth, adding 78 million people per year * Global warming. Unfavorable climatic conditions in 2007 devastated crops in Australia and reduced harvest in other European countries. Southern Africa and the western U.S. have been plagued with severe drought. * Unsustainable use of land and water * Rising oil prices, as fossil fuels are needed throughout the agricultural process, from running tractors, to fertilizer production, to shipping A few others, from non-traditional media outlets, bypass all these “excuses” and point the finger directly at the similarities between our current situation and previous man-made famines for the end purpose of mass genocide. In January 2008, the BBC broadcast a segment in their "The Things We Forgot To Remember - Listen to The Bengal Famine", featuring Economics Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Sen, among others, speaking about the 1943-1945 Bengal famine in which 6-7 million people perished when the price of rice doubled, and then finally quadrupled. However, that famine, as now, was not caused by a food deficit per say, but rather by the callous politics in the area at the time. Personally, one of the things that bother me most after reading through multiple articles on this issue, are the frequent references to the need for “higher yield crops,” rather than the development of sustainable agriculture. Although the names of any particular biotech companies are never mentioned, it walks, talks and reeks like poorly cloaked Monsanto propaganda. Monsanto’s Rich Harvest Monsanto’s genetically altered seeds tripled their first-quarter earnings, from $90 million to $256 million, according to BusinessWeek in January 2008. Their GM seeds have been a prime beneficiary of the growing demand for food and alternative fuel sources. I have a sinking feeling that Monsanto will eventually ride in like a knight in shining armor, offering to end the world-wide plight with its high-yield spawn – those one-time-use-only seeds with dubious genetic signatures that may or may not kill anything that’s left. They already began that project in mid-2007, with the Gates and Rockefeller foundations donating $150 million worth of GMO crops to “reform agriculture and end hunger in Africa.” That would surely be one of the absolute worst case scenarios we could possibly face, as GM crops are bound to do far more harm than good, both to the biodiversity of the planet and your individual health, through the unchecked introduction of foreign genetic material and hardier pests. __________________ My Feed Back and album Norman Vincent Peale: "Believe that you are defeated, believe it long enough, and it is likely to become a fact. We tend to get what we expect." Carpe Diem Whish your Dog was smarter???

05-08-2008, 06:59 AM	#2 (permalink)
going_home Hebrews 13:8 Join Date: May 2007 Location: Valrico Florida Posts: 1,404	Ethanol The scam that is ethanol is a huge contributor . __________________ Say what you mean. Mean what you say. https://www.liveprayer.com/fitna.cfm

05-08-2008, 08:15 AM	#4 (permalink)
Painthappy I Am The Admin Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: New Boston, NH Posts: 4,955	Well, there was a show on Genetically Modified foods and how you probably eat it already and don't know about it. They tossed out something like 58% of wheat products sold in stores already uses Genetically modified products. Personally... I have no problem with it. I see it as nothing different than that Monk Mendel did on his own cross pollinating and creating hybrids to withstand harsher climates, more yield, etc. Truly this is the type of stuff that is really needed so certain crops can survive in harsher climates to feed more people in other countries. As for food prices? It's just a direct result of higher prices around the board. It's pretty simple. It costs more to RUN equipment to dig, fertilize, and then harvest. Then, you need to transport, run more equipment to bag and box, and then transport again to the market... That alone raises prices. Corn is being used for ethanol, and driving up corn prices... But corn is also feed. This now-high-priced feed, drives up your initial bottom line costs. Things like chicken which trickle down to eggs, etc. Ethanol is also a poor substitute. Ethanol in its purest form is ONLY E85 (or 85 octane). States that mandate that you use 10% in the fuel mix are screwing you... New Hampshire is one of the screwed up states right now. You take 93 Octane fuel and mix it with E85, well then, you no longer have 93 Octane now do you? You're paying more for less octane, and less mileage. Ethanol was a sham from the start, and you can probably go back and read about me saying so... But politicians jumped on the Look-at-me-I'm-going-green-and-my-constituents-will-love-me band wagon. Without ever thinking of the consequences of their immediate actions. Ethanol has been around for years, heck, even my 1999 Ford Ranger had an engine that would accept 100% ethanol back then. But Ethanol is a poor substitute and no one used it. It's not only because of the crop thing... But because of the E85 at it's best thing, and because it takes too much fuel to create 1 gallon of ethanol. The ratio is very poor. As for "non-traditional media outlets, bypass all these “excuses” and point the finger directly at the similarities between our current situation and previous man-made famines for the end purpose of mass genocide." That's just plain silly, and there is a reason people are called "nut jobs". That would be the prime example of one. __________________ If I cannot smoke cigars in Heaven, I shall not go. MCB Rules - Please Read them MySpace.com/painthappy - MySpace Blog Twitter.com/mcarterbrown - Twitter Updates Last edited by Painthappy; 05-08-2008 at 08:49 AM. Reason: Than vs Then... I'll never get them straight

05-08-2008, 08:17 AM	#5 (permalink)
Robertsr Ultimate Battle Monkey Z Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Waynesboro, VA Posts: 2,969	Oooo! Multiple conflicting conspiracy theories! __________________ Geriatrically Assured Destruction

05-08-2008, 08:22 AM	#6 (permalink)
Azzy Mod-O-Rator Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Finleyville, PA Posts: 6,478	Why post when Carter pretty much has it on the nose? __________________ Bryan "Azzy" Spiegel webmaster - Riverside Renegade Paintball / C.C. S.V.S. Plankowner - LPPC#6 Check out VintageRex.com, the premiere paintball museum "A Patriot and free-thinker with respect to social standards in 1760, is today's traitor and dangerous mind." - incynr8

05-08-2008, 08:51 AM	#9 (permalink)
Lrrpie-CT See Matt Mod. Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Bethlehem CT Posts: 2,490	A billion Chinese and a billion Indians moving up and out of abject poverty and near-starvation?

05-08-2008, 08:55 AM	#10 (permalink)
splattttttt MCB Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Bean Town, U.S.A. Posts: 2,805	It happened long ago. Way before modern times. Power hungry moguls will always control us. All we can do is sit with our hands tied behind our backs. I'm not the long winded type, but this is one subject I would love to run into the ground, dragging the culprits along till they're all buried along with it. I don't often say this, or use this phrase lightly... But there will be a revolution. It's gonna suck bad. But in the end, governments will crumble. Hopefully they will be replaced by a more humane ideology? But some how I doubt it. It happened long ago. Way before modern times. It will continue. As far as a substitute for petroleum concerned... Will the person that will turn water in to energy become the new prophet? __________________ My Feed Back and album Norman Vincent Peale: "Believe that you are defeated, believe it long enough, and it is likely to become a fact. We tend to get what we expect." Carpe Diem Whish your Dog was smarter???