Sydney Morning-Herald: A new food crisis is on our plates

[marmar]

A new food crisis is on our plates
February 22, 2011

Peter Hartcher


The world has entered a new food crisis. Prices have surged, contributing to unrest in the Arab world. The president of the World Bank, the former US deputy secretary of state Bob Zoellick, last week warned that global food prices are at "dangerous levels."

It's part two of the crisis that started in 2007-08, which led to food riots in 18 countries. Prices in 2008 reached their highest since 1845, in inflation-adjusted terms, according to the Economist magazine's index, before slumping. The crisis seemed to have solved itself.

But last month, global food prices actually broke the record, according to the experts at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation. Over the past year the price of corn has risen 52 per cent, wheat 49 per cent and soybeans 28 per cent.

Rising food prices have pushed an extra 44 million people into poverty in the past seven months, according to the World Bank. It's even being felt in the rich world. In Australia, the opposition hopes to capitalise on it: "The year will begin and end with Australian families facing an ever-rising cost of living," the Liberal Party's Joe Hockey said in a speech last week. ........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/a-new-food-crisis-is-on-our-plates-20110221-1b2f3.html

[Lasher]

1. Too many people.

7 billion soon. We have got to stop populating ourselves into extinction, along with many more noble species.

[customerserviceguy]

2. Ok, the crisis is 'on our plates'

What are we supposed to do about it?