The Exploding Food Crisis

The food crisis is exploding around the world. To say that a lot of people are going to starve or nearly so is not an exaggeration. People who were all ready on the edge are being pushed over it. This is due to many factors: rising prices, increasing demand, diminished harvests, climate change, and of course, the cursed ethanol boom. But people in the states aren’t getting off scot-free either. Our food bills are going up at 4% a month. The local news this morning said that our farmers here are hurting more than usual because fertilizer and seed prices have both more than doubled in the past few months. And some seeds –particularly soybeans –are running short.

Since so much of this food crisis is caused by ethanol (and its effects on prices and supplies) at what point does it become morally justify to “disable” ethanol plants? And at what point do hungry people start stealing those plants feedstocks, which are edible, after all?

Why Your Food Bill Is About To Hurt
http://www.macleans.ca/canada/national/article.jsp?content=20080227_59852_59852

Rising Food Prices Put U.S. Food Aid In Peril
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/29/AR2008022904029.html

Rising Prices Threaten Millions With Starvation
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/rising-prices-threaten-millions-with-starvation-despite-bumper-crops-790319.html

Without record harvests this year…famine may return. Not just price spikes, not just spot shortages, but famine. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=aGcGIiIwHQ1g&refer=canada

U.N. To Ration Food Aid They just don’t have the money to keep helping everyone, with the prices spiraling out of control.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/451604c4-e30b-11dc-803f-0000779fd2ac,dwp_uuid=a955630e-3603-11dc-ad42-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1

America’s Grain Stocks Are Running Low http://www.theindependent.com/stories/02242008/new_grain24.shtml

Are you prepared for shortages? Or even just for prices to double this year? You might want to think about expanding that garden.