Good idea, but….

Thailand has the right idea, but I think that they are doing it for the wrong reasons. Unfortunately, biofuels will not save the earth or reduce dependence on petroleum. The title of the article is a little misleading in my opinion also, in that it says Thailand is doing this to cope with the food crisis. Growing biofuel crops does not in my opinion help with the growing food shortage. Interesting though.

About time

Although in reality it is not new news, it is about time that someone recognizes that there is a desperate need for agriculture to change. However, even if agriculture does do a drastic U-turn, and despite it being a lovely and quaint thought, the idea that fuel and food are going to once again drop in price is ridiculous and whomever believes that it will is riding a false wave of hope. Unfettered financial growth does not exist and will not continue. A question begging to be asked is: What is the power shift in the world going to look like in the ensuing months and years? Who knows, but I am willing to guess that it is not those clutching to what power they still have.

Food Security

Apparently the world is not listening too much, or most flat out do not care. The UN continues its plea for help. Those with a little foresight have known this would happen. It was not a question of “If”, rather it was a question as to “When”. I am just concerned as to how bad it will eventually become. The other concerning point is that this only relates to the extreme hunger and poverty of developing countries. This does not touch on the hungry of those in the West or in countries with moderately better economies.

It is ironic to me. Food prices are dramatically on the rise, yet, farmers around the world are still struggling to make a living (save for the few agribusinesses). This rise in food prices could be viewed as food and commodities finally coming up in price to cover what it actually costs to produce them. However, I do not see this as the case currently. Subsidies still abound, especially here in the West. Until we alleviate our dependence on those and farmers actually start being able to earn a living, I still foresee food prices on the increase and food aid on the decrease.

Oh to help the starving.

Food crisis

The devastation is unthinkable and many are suffering on both sides of the barriers. I am referring to the conflict (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) between Israel and the Palestinians, or the Palestinians and the Israelis. Regardless of which viewpoint you see it from, the crisis is immense and unthinkable. It is shameful that we do not hear about the situation here in the US. The fact that 80% of people in Gaza need food assistance and that number is only rising. The agricultural crisis is also frightening, as Palestinians in Gaza are less and less able to produce their own food every year. This stems from numerous reasons, from Israeli confiscation of arable land, water shortages, seed and input shortages, to flat out poverty and inability to buy the necessary products to grow food. If you want to know a little more about the food insecurity of Gaza and the West Bank from the FAO. Further interesting reading. Something a little more positive. A little old, but relevant. Last but not least, a view from the Palestinian perspective.

World Food Program

Admirably, Drew Barrymore is lending her helping hand to starving children in Africa. I have mixed feelings over the issue. On the one hand – hurray – there are fewer starving children for the next year. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has been pressing the world on the concern over rising food costs. It has been in the news quite a bit of recent. Which means, if the trend continues, that starvation will be on the increase. This will especially be true in nations where it is already prevalent.

On the other hand, I wonder what, if anything, she has done to help starvation in her own country. I do not honestly know. Maybe she has, maybe she has not. But then it touches on another difficult thing in the west, especially the US. That is the ingratitude of many – including the poor. If they do not get exactly what they want or think that they deserve, they do not want it. Though this can never be a blanket statement for all people. It is difficult and there are no concrete answers. At least not to me.

Right direction

At least India is working in the right direction. Whether or not it will harm or help their economy and people is something else that remains to be seen. We also have to wait and see if it will actually happen or it is simply politicians playing their game ahead of elections in the coming year.