Global Food Crisis!

[Clouse123456]

Some third world asian countries are starting to starve and Africa is having major problems with the situation.Some western countries are having minor inconviencies by comparison.Are any of you guys worried?

[Aristophanes]

Some third world asian countries are starting to starve and Africa is having major problems with the situation.Some western countries are having minor inconviencies by comparison.Are any of you guys worried?

Not particularly, no. Once people realize what a bad idea so-called 'bio fuels' are, and once the green revolution (i.e. better fertilizers and GMO foods) spreads, this crisis will disappear. Not to mention the fact that higher food prices are likely to spark a rise in production as is. The markets will fix this, as they generally would, if governments didn't intervent to subsidize ridiculous practices.

[Chaigidel]

yeah hopefully technology will solve the problem but if it doesnt-- hey who needs that extra 2 billion people anyway?

[Pontifex Maximus]

True that. (Arisophanes)

If we would stop using corn to make biofuel we'd probably be fine.

But first of all, Africa on a whole has basically been starving since forever and Asia is run by rice, so I can understand the impacts there. What I'm eating for dinner tonight has no rice in it...

[bushbush]

True that. (Arisophanes)

If we would stop using corn to make biofuel we'd probably be fine.

But first of all, Africa on a whole has basically been starving since forever and Asia is run by rice, so I can understand the impacts there. What I'm eating for dinner tonight has no rice in it...

in northern China, flour is more important than rice, just for the record.

[Marie Louise von Preussen]

A food crisis is always a delicate time for governments, particularly those that give subsidies in order to distract the people enough from their misery.

[bushbush]

A food crisis is always a delicate time for governments, particularly those that give subsidies in order to distract the people enough from their misery.

don't the developed nations give the most subsidies to their farmers?

[Aristophanes]

don't the developed nations give the most subsidies to their farmers?

Yes, that is correct. The third world politicians, such as those in Zimbabwe, typically follow conversely destructive policies.

[gaius valerius]

The 3rd world will pay the price...

[Aristophanes]

The 3rd world will pay the price...

3rd place is second loser. Yeah, I went there.

[Marie Louise von Preussen]

Many Middle Eastern nations such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia have immensely big populations, little room for farmlands and a lack of population control measures. In fact, the main effects felt until now were food price riots in Cairo.

[Aristophanes]

Many Middle Eastern nations such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia have immensely big populations, little room for farmlands and a lack of population control measures. In fact, the main effects felt until now were food price riots in Cairo.

There's this thing called 'trade'. Basically the gist of it is that people exchange those things they can produce for those things they can't. In the case of Egypt, that creates a remarkable conundrum, because its repressive regime and religious influences dampen the productivity of the population. In the case of Saudi Arabia, they live on borrowed time, until the price of oil makes it no longer economical, or until they run out. Then they might actually have to change, so that they might provide something useful to others, in order to compensate for their lack of farming capabilities.

[Clouse123456]

It doesnt help that America started with the whole bio fuels thing.They corrected this mistake by banning futher production of BioFuels temporely.CNN and THE BBC have not done any reporting on this issue,i blame the biofuel guys,the green guys and of course the green guys will not take blame.Also why did china ban all rice export.Why has Japan also ban all rice export.Why has India banned all rice export.There hordeing the rice that afaghanistan,pakistan,indoenesia, ect ect..that so sourely needs.Oh yea i cant forget Africa.Are they stockpiling for somthing?

[Aristophanes]

It doesnt help that America started with the whole bio fuels thing.They corrected this mistake by banning futher production of BioFuels temporely.CNN and THE BBC have not done any reporting on this issue,i blame the biofuel guys,the green guys and of course the green guys will not take blame.Also why did china ban all rice export.Why has Japan also ban all rice export.Why has India banned all rice export.There hordeing the rice that afaghanistan,pakistan,indoenesia, ect ect..that so sourely needs.Oh yea i cant forget Africa.Are they stockpiling for somthing?

Governments acting in restriction of trade...never a good thing. The last time governments pulled this, albeit on a larger scale, the quantifiably worst depression in human history resulted.

[Lord Consul]

The crisis has been exacerbated by the current "Ethanol" craze. The US must stop burning corn to produce ethanol and Brazil must put its unused arable lands to use.

[Aristophanes]

The crisis has been exacerbated by the current "Ethanol" craze. The US must stop burning corn to produce ethanol and Brazil must put its unused arable lands to use.

We could let the markets take over. There is very little real, unsubsidized demand for bio-fuels, and a great deal of demand for foodstuffs. Problem solved by an information system to sophisticated for the electorate to understand, and too dangerous to politicians to be left alone.

[HorseArcher]

Since we have been eating food made from clones for a while now, just keep cloning more.