Worldwide, food inflation is a worry.The rising prices have been attributed to failing harvests, rising population and increased demand for food, increased consumption/changing consumption patterns in emerging economic powers, the demand for ethanol etc. But a key factor that is not often mentioned is speculation in agricultural commodity prices which often cause severe fluctuations in the price of staple foods like corn, wheat, or soy, for the consumer. When we click a button to execute a trade and then look at the profits afterward, we may sometimes lose sight of the fact that food is not like any other commodity and trading in food is often the same as trading in hunger. It would seem obvious that there is a need to ban or at least limit trading in essential food commodities. Like other contentious issues such as subsidies, however, there is a lack of political will and consensus in making this happen. More on this here.
Tag Archives: food security
Trading in Hunger
Posted in Food Policy, Food Security, Hunger, Price Rise, Uncategorized
Tagged food policy, food security, Hunger, Price Rise
Adapting to Climate Change
A new study ,which analyses data on changes in weather and agricultural production in different countries estimates, that the effects of warmer temperatures has lead to a 20% increase in global prices for maize and wheat. The debate on the factors responsible for these changes may continue but the impact of changing climate patterns is already evident to farmers. In the Midwest, farmers are already investing in machinery, seeds and farm practices that will help them deal with the short term variations in weather. More efforts are required to develop crops that can with stand the long term trend of global warming. It is estimated that a 1 degree Celsius rise in temperature causes a 10 percent fall in crop yield. How will the 2012 Farm Bill provide for these challenges? Funds are required for research into creating strains of crops that will be able to withstand excess heat and flooding, for conservation of existing resources and also for providing counter cyclical insurance to farmers as they grapple with uncertain weather conditions. There needs to be a recognition of the problem and also an openness to scientific methods which can help us face this challenge. In the current economic conditions, obstacles are to be expected.
Posted in Climate Change, Food Policy, Food Security, Price Rise
Tagged climate change, food policy, food security, Price Rise
Seeds of Change
They say every cloud has a silver lining and with this long downturn it seems like the clouds have been here forever. But,even in these difficult times, there is some good news. Rising food and healthcare costs are forcing people to rethink the way they live. Farmer’s markets are thriving and people are trying to grow their own produce. The next step is the revival of (almost) lost skills like canning, pickling and preserving produce. That is how people used to live in the past: enjoy produce when it is fresh and also prepare for the rest of the year. But grocery stores continue to be a source of produce for many and I wonder if this trend will impact what we pay in the store for fruits and vegetables?
Note: the link above is to the New York Times article on the changes in produce growing in rural Kentucky. There is some issue with the link that I am trying to fix at the moment, you could go straight to the new York Times site to read it in full.
Posted in Food Policy, Food Security, Green, Hunger, Living, Nutrition, Price Rise
Tagged food policy, food security, Green, Hunger, Living, nutrition, Price Rise
Can conventional and GM based crops coexist?
USDA seeks method to compensate farmers for GM contamination.
It would seem from Marion Nestle’s post on her blog (link above) that the government is trying to find ways to ensure that both forms of agriculture can coexist. The effort to discuss compensation methods would also include a discussion of contamination prevention in the first place. This is where any discussion on the adoption of biotechnology in agriculture should start, with a consideration for environmental and health concerns. These concerns can then be addressed by setting up suitable biosafety standards. In this way, we can ensure that the best use is made of the gains of biotechnology without undermining traditional /organic agriculture.
Posted in Farm Technology, Food Policy, Food Safety, Food Security, Green
Tagged food policy, food safety, food security, Hunger
How to Feed the World
Jason Clay of WWF identifies 8 steps to “freeze the footprint of food” in his article in Nature. While he examines the issue particularly with regard to Africa, these points are relevent in a global context as well. For instance, recent discussion in food and foreign policy areas have focused on the practice of “land grabbing”; Clay points out the need to restore degraded, underperforming or abandoned land instead of looking for fresh land to cultivate.
But what makes the top of the list of options is genetics: it cannot be said often enough, we are facing a huge problem here and time is not on our side. Using a technology which allows us to catalyse the process of selection of existing desirable traits and also prepare to combat climate change by including traits such as drought or disease resistance; should be an integral part of any solution (accompanied, of course, by a robust biosafety framework). Organic methods can yield good results but time is short and the technology for genetic modification is already available.
Posted in Farm Technology, Food Policy, Food Security, Hunger, Nutrition
Tagged food policy, food security, Hunger, nutrition
The Debate on GM Potatoes
Prof. Jonathon Jones of the John Innes Centre in England writes in the Guardian to defend the his group’s work on introducing blight resistant traits in potatoes.Blight causes huge losses for commercial potato growers every year and the work in question consists of experiments to introduce blight resistant traits found in wild potatoes into commercial potatoes without losing the desirable properties already present in them. What was intriguing about the article was not just the description of the work or the case made for biotechnology but the plea that Prof. Jones makes for better communication between the supporters and opponents of biotechnology. Like any other technology, genetic modification comes with advantages and concerns. All too often, opponents of GM seek to demonize it and following this path would mean we also lose out on the potential of this option to address issues like climate change, global hunger and public health. We need a sane dialogue on this issue , the time for fear mongering should be over now.
Posted in Climate Change, Food Policy, Food Security, Hunger, Living
Tagged climate change, food policy, food safety, food security, Hunger, Living
Food and (Virtual) Community
It is almost dinnertime. You are staring at the green beans and thinking, “not again”.How do you think up a fresh, new dish with the same old beans? Check out the Internet, of course! It is positively bursting with blogs and websites where you can learn to cook just about anything. But for some people who wanted to grow their own food, in an apartment ,no less, a quick search was not always enough. Thus , grew the online community of Windowfarms. An initial model for growing plants indoors in a hydroponic system was set up online and users from all over the world could use this model and bring in their own input based in their experience of using the model. A great way to share and grow knowledge! Windowfarms is also the subject of a research project at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute which aims to study how online communities work. One of their conclusions was that the community members were motivated to join because “it was fun to do”. If the project involves growing basil in a wine glass, fun describes it really well.
Posted in Food Security, Green, Living, Nutrition
Tagged food security, Green, Living, nutrition
What Budget Crunch?
NPR reports that $20b is spent annually on air conditioning in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now consider the speculation that agricultural programs may face cuts of $ 2o b to $ 30 b in the 2012 Farm Bill. It makes you wonder when our priorities went so astray. Sure, the welfare of troops in combat is crucial but it is time now to bring them to comforts at home and free up the money spent on endless engagements to restore the economy to a robust state. When there are 15 m children hungry, the battle has to be fought at home. Right now, as we are surrounded by the bounty of summer, luscious tomatoes and gleaming blueberries, hunger is an acute problem for kids who depend on the school lunch program the rest of the year. The annual school lunch budget? $ 9b. It can be argued that there is much room for improvement here.
There is no denying that we are going through testing times. While we do have the financial resources and skills to overcome this challenge, we need to make tough decisions regarding our priorities. This is not the time to make safe choices and cling to the status quo or live in denial. 2012 is not only the year for the next Farm Bill to be passed, it is also election year. When your candidate comes to ask for your vote, make sure he/she knows that food security, food safety and a fair food system are priorities for all of us.
Posted in Food Policy, Food Security, Hunger
Tagged food policy, food security, Hunger
Waste less, Feed More
The numbers on food wastage are staggering: supermarkets, retailers, restaurants all throw out food that is edible and would serve to feed hungry kids and families. NPR reports on an encouraging initiative by WalMart to route produce from its stores to food banks to feed those in need.
Facing the Food Challenge with Consensus
Food prices and shortages are rising around the world and this trend is expected to continue. A broken and defective food system that is wasteful and out of reach for many, will be further stressed by the impact of climate change and rising population. How can we deal with this crisis? As an earlier post pointed out, the world can choose between consensus or conflict to resolve this issue.
It would seem that some countries have already made their choice: China and Saudi Arabia among others are investing in farmland in Africa and now Brazil in order to secure food security for their citizens. This will only serve to enhance conflict. Starving people cannot be expected to respect borders, wherever there is plenty , conflict will follow. It would be in the interest of all to approach this in a way that is thoughtful and just. This problem can be interpreted as an opportunity to fix the broken food system at home and also at the global level. The 2012 farm Bill needs to ensure that citizens at home are not deprived of access to food produces in their own country by others who seek to bypass the market system here. Lester Brown’s article explains how South Korean buyers are establishing direct contacts with farmers and buying up grain before it even reaches the market. Globally, countries and their governments must come together to respond to this challenge in a timely and effective way. The political will to make big changes and go in a different direction is always. We can support positive measures by keeping ourselves informed, making our voice heard by approaching our representatives and making good choices in our daily lives.
Posted in Climate Change, Food Policy, Food Security, Price Rise
Tagged climate change, food policy, food security, Price Rise
Thought + Food 