Global Food Shortage

[Jockser]

I have noticed lots of these reports over the last few months. They are increasing in frequency recently. What do people think? will we be affected here?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120881517227532621.html

http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=213343

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080423233009.6u8b3ves&show_article=1

http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/04/14/food-prices-china-biz-cx_0415oxford.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/world/americas/18food.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

http://www.business24-7.ae/cs/article_show_mainh1_story.aspx?HeadlineID=4792

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/10/2212941.htm

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/13/AR2008031303347.html

http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.2104849.0.2008_the_year_of_global_food _crisis.php

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0407/p08s01-comv.html

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7010270408

[vodkacolly]

Theres no doubt we will feel some affects from this; rise in food prices, some foods becoming unavailable, pressure to consume certain foods and cut down on others. And I think this is just the start of it.
World population is booming, global warming affecting world crop outputs, crops being used for bio-fuels instead of food... These 3 issues alone are the biggest causes of the food shortage and all 3 of them are going to continue indefinitely so I honestly cant see an answer to the problem.
Its shocking how bad the problem is at the moment and its going to get alot worse. Its going to get more mainstream media coverage in the coming months imo and I can see "power of one" type campaigns in the near future regarding this subject.
Typically while the poor nations starve and riot over food, some richer nations including Ireland are throwing away more food than ever.:(

[redeagle]

yea it seems to be the hot topic at the moment. Commodities like meat, milk and even beans and cereals are increasing in price.

I was watching a good debate about it the other week on news night. I'll see if its on youtube.

[The Chanter]

World population is booming, global warming affecting world crop outputs, crops being used for bio-fuels instead of food... These 3 issues alone are the biggest causes of the food shortage and all 3 of them are going to continue indefinitely so I honestly cant see an answer to the problem.

You could add the use of GM seeds to that list. A small number of seed manufacturers plant seeds that kill themselves along with other seeds after a single harvest, forcing small time farmers to rebuy seeds each year. No surprise either that 54% of the world's corn is grown in USA.

[Jockser]

You could add the use of GM seeds to that list. .
Dont talk to me about GM foods!

watch this documentary that was on french TV a few weeks ago. I downloaded it from google but it has since been removed, you will see why after watching it.

Bon f**king Appetite!!!


first part of 11 here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARPtgRWlkaQ

or
bit torrents here

http://www.mininova.org/tor/1270297
or

http://www.torrentreactor.net/torrents/1752615/World-According-to-Monsanto-DVDRip-English

or google "world according to monsanto"

[Jockser]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7372393.stm

UN sets up food crisis task force

Global rice prices have risen by more than 90% in the past year

The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, is setting up a task force to tackle the global food crisis.

Mr Ban said the world faced "widespread hunger, malnutrition and social unrest on an unprecedented scale" because of soaring food prices.

He said the priority was to feed the hungry by closing a $755m (£380m) funding gap for the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) this year.

He urged donor countries to make more money available now.

In the long term we need to address the challenges caused by climate change

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon


Global rice supply: Video snapshots

The WFP believes 100 million people are currently going short of food.

It says only 62% of the $755m it needs to feed them has been pledged so far, and, of that, only $18m has actually been received.

Supporting farmers

The task force, to be chaired by Mr Ban, will be made up of the heads of UN agencies and the World Bank.

"The first and immediate priority issue that we all agreed was that we must feed the hungry," Mr Ban said after a meeting of agency heads in the Swiss capital, Berne.

"Without full funding of these emergency requirements, we risk again the spectre of widespread hunger, malnutrition and social unrest on an unprecedented scale."

Mr Ban said it was essential to support farmers in poor countries who were producing less because of the high cost of fertilizer and energy, and to this end he said the task force hoped to:


Offer $200m financial support to farmers in the worst affected countries to boost food production
Set up a $1.7bn programme to help countries with a food deficit to buy seeds.
For its part the World Bank said that it would:


Double its lending for agriculture in Africa over the next year

Consider providing quicker and more flexible financing for poor countries.
Mr Ban recognized that longer term solutions were also needed.

"We call on the international community to urgently address trade-distorting subsidies in developed countries, and the ongoing Doha trade round," Mr Ban said.

"But also in the long term we need to address the challenges caused by climate change."

The head of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, who also attended the meeting in Berne, urged countries not to use export bans to protect food stocks.

"These controls encourage hoarding, drive up prices and hurt the poorest people around the world who are struggling to feed themselves," he said.

The prices of staple foods including rice, grain, oil and sugar are all at least 50% higher than they were this time last year.