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WORD COUNT
704
JUNE 11, 2008
WHY IS THERE A WORLD
FOOD CRISIS? – by Bill Ayres
We see the headlines
almost every day: "Food Riots in Haiti," "The Price of Rice Doubles,"
"Mexicans Can Not Afford Tortillas" and dozens more. Rising food prices
are devastating for the poor of the world who spend most of their
available income on food in order to survive. The world is experiencing
its worst food crisis in decades, not in one or two drought prone
countries but in a growing number of countries all over the world. Why
is this happening?
U.S. media usually
mention the growing middle-class desire for more meat in India, China
and other traditionally poor countries. This creates a loss of land that
was previously growing grains and vegetables and drives up demand (hence
driving up prices) for corn, soy, and other commodities. This is
certainly a factor in the current crisis, but there are many other
reasons as well. One of them is the huge expansion of subsidized
agrofuels such as ethanol from corn, with fuel crops replacing much
needed food crops in the fields. Another factor is rising oil prices
that increase the cost of farm inputs from fertilizers to
transportation.
There are also
climatic changes that have been intensifying for decades; these have
been talked about but not effectively addressed. The region of the Sahel
just south of the Sahara Desert used to be a significant food-producing
region in Africa. Desertification that is partially man made is the
cause of its long time decreasing production. Large parts of China and
the Asian countries of the former Soviet Union are suffering from the
decline of food-producing resources such as water and arable land, and
extreme pollution is limiting their ability to produce healthful food.
In many other countries including the United States, farmland is being
lost to development with potentially devastating effects on food
production.
The last set of
causes is perhaps among the most devastating and preventable. It is the
growing destruction of family and community agriculture and its
replacement by agribusiness and corporate farms. Small- and medium-sized
farmers are seen as an annoying anachronism. They are forced, by
government policies, economic coercion, and terror tactics, to leave
their land for the cities and most often wind up in dire poverty. Yet
millions of small-scale farmers throughout the world are proving that
it's possible to grow food sustainably when supported by sound
government policies, appropriate technologies, and their own
agro-ecological wisdom practiced through the ages.
Fortunately, there
are a number of positive actions that can protect and enhance the
world's food supplies and support farmers:
1.
INCREASE WORLD FOOD RESERVES
World food reserves
are dangerously low and must be sustained and diversified, with an
emphasis on strengthening or creating reserves at the national and
regional levels. Sufficient food must also be available for rapid
transportation to areas that are unable to feed themselves in times of
crisis. The world's major food producing countries must come to
agreements to rebuild reserves, and ensure that food aid supports and
does not undermine local farming.
2.
ELIMINATE DUMPING CHEAP FOOD ON POOR NATIONS
A recent example of
bad agricultural policy is the dumping of cheap U.S. corn into Mexico,
which has severely harmed Mexican corn farmers. Many thousands have lost
their farms and migrated north in search of jobs, and now that corn
prices have soared, people in Mexico cannot afford the most basic food
of their diets, the tortilla. The tendency is for powerful countries and
corporations to dictate to poorer countries, and especially peasant
farmers, and not respect their crucial role in their countries' food
supplies.
3.
INVEST IN LOCAL FARMERS
Small farmers can
prosper several ways. The first is to help them secure the legal rights
to their land, affordable credit, the means of production and access to
markets that pay them a fair price. They also need the freedom of
organizing to promote and protect their rights. International agencies
and national governments must invest fairly and wisely in farmers in
order to build local food self-reliance as well as providing a safe
ongoing food supply for the world.
This current food
crisis is devastating for millions throughout the world, but it is only
a foretaste of a much larger and deeper crisis to come, as the multiple
factors of unsustainable agrofuels, peak oil prices, energy crises, and
climate change intensify. We must be aware and act accordingly.
--
Bill Ayres is
executive director of WHY (World Hunger Year). Founded in 1975, WHY is a
leader in the fight against hunger and poverty in the United States and
around the world.
www.worldhungeryear.org
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