Food+Crisis

Food Crisis Have you ever woundered about why our basic staples in life such as rice, milk, meat and such items are reaching prices that are unbareble and unaffordable? All of these outragous prices all revolve around fuel prices. While fuel prices reach the highest amount it's ever been, farmers are forced to raise the food prices. From March of 2007 to March of 2008 dairy prices have risen 48 %, rice over the last twelve years has risen over 122%, wheat has risen nearly 95% and much much more. Also, in China this very thing is going on. China has the largest population in the world and the most mouths to feed; while Africa is struggling to survive as it is. Also, China is the top consumer of rice, along with India, feeling the hit of the 250% rise of rice prices this past year. There has always been a hunger and poverty issue world-wide but there has been no major actions have been done to prevent this. The food crisis has just recently been called a global emergency as of 2008. As of now there are 800 million people in the world do not have enough food each day to survive; and people are saying that the way the prices of food is going another 100 million will be in the same boat as the the other 800 million. Now it is on us to band together and come up with a solution. The global food crisis is causing many major economic problems, affecting the world economy as a whole.

In terms of facts, the description for the food “crisis” is misleading because the problem in not the lack/shortage of for but the price. Many factors are contributing to this inflation but most of all, gas prices. Oil prices are soaring is not coming down. Crude oil prices have hit a record high of $135.09 a barrel as of May 22, 2008. The world responds by investing billions of dollars in the biofuel campaign, hoping to fuel the future with ethanol instead of gas. Ethanol, ethyl alcohol, is derived from staples such as soybeans, sugarcane, and mainly corn. This alternative appears to be perfect and has many investors, mainly in America being the top producer of corn, but is causing more problems than expected. While America is supplying 30% of its corn to promote biofuel production, the quantity is still not enough and so other countries have to get involved. Farmers world-wide are trying to meet the demand by planting corn instead of rice, soybeans, wheat, and other less expensive staples. The agricultural economies are naturally taking advantage of the record high price of corn by “cashing out” by planting them. Now there are shortages of the other staples which make them valuable as well. This causes nations to try meet demand of the global economy while trying feed there own people. From March of 2007 to March of 2008 dairy prices have risen 48 %, cereals have risen nearly 88%, rice over the last twelve years has risen over 122%, wheat has risen nearly 95%, soybeans has risen 83%, corn has risen over 66%, and oil has risen over 107%. Economies have been shaken out of control and the poor are starving. The current food prices are costing the lives of 250,000 every 10 days! In general, food prices have doubled the past year. More and more people are being pushed into poverty where it is the most dangerous and people are most vulnerable. http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/04/0411_corn/image/bush-eating-corn.jpg President Bush's explanation for all of theses alarming increases is that it is India and China's fault because of their population growth, and requireing more food. While all of this is all true it is not the only reason for the food shortage and in China and India's defence, they are doing all they can. According to the World Bank, 300 million people in China live on less than a dollar a day. This number is roughly the same as the population in the US. Lester Brown blames the food shortage on the short sidedness of industrialized countries like the USA who use farm subsides to limit what farmers grow.

Below is a Video of Bush addressing the Food Crisis.    http://www.caglepost.com/send/Patrick+Chappatte/49863/World+FOOD+CRISIS.html

However, many natural disasters are partaking in increasing food prices. World economic development, population increase, costs of energy, import and export restrictions, and stockpiling are unavoidable but not necessarily bad for the economy. More countries are becoming industrialized such as Brazil, who has been the success story of biofuel production. Brazil produces 5 million gallons of sugarcane ethanol which supplies 45% of there fuel demands. Population increases are neither good nor bad. They are a sign that a country is successful but at the same time is sensitive to any disasters or conflicts. China, for example, has recently suffered an major earthquake that has damged a large amount of their agriculture, fueling higher inflation. Looking back to the Malthusian Catastrophe, human population will always be checked by the failure of food supplies to keep pace with a growing population. This observation should be correct but somehow we have decided that it is ok for people to starve even though there is surplus food to be eaten. Stockpiling is a strategy used by smaller nations who struggle to afford import/export expenses, and so they keep all there products for themselves. This is a selfish but necessary tactic on there part.

While all countries are affected by the food crisis, China and Africa are suffering the most. China has the largest population in the world and the most mouths to feed; while Africa is struggling to survive as it is. Also China is the top consumer of rice, along with India, feeling the hit of the 250% rise of rice prices this past year. Overpopulation is a serious issue in China who has tried to control it by allowing only child per couple, the One-Child Policy. This policy has been active for over 30 years and has been effective. However, breaking this policy is very common but justified by a tax on the "extra" child. China Flag South Africa Flag The Food Crisis in Africa is brought on by nature more than anything else. Conditions there not very good, suffering from wildfires, sandstorms, earthquakes, famine, droughts, floods, epidemics and even volcanos. In Africa there is a lot of non-fertile soil and not a lot of able bodied people to farm. Diseases that are causing a lot of famine in the country maleria and AIDS just to start. Also, Africa does not have that much cattle ground or farmland. The price that it takes to live in Africa is very cheap but many people there still can't afford the soaring prices of food. This is really threatening the very existance of people in Africa. Two-thousand African children die from maleria per day! This is a serious issue that the world has continued to fail at curing year after year. The poverty surrounding Africa is extremely high due to the lack of running water, food, and the diseases. Creeping disaster, named such when rainfall sucuumbs to less than 8 inches of a year, is also a problem in Africa. Chad, a country in Africa, has been in a legal drought since 1975. Which means no fertil soil, clean water, moisture, or chance to grow any food to eat. Drought is the main cause of famine in Africa ineviably because of its nature weather. Pictures of Africans starving with no water ans such began to show up in the 80's and still show up today because those are just as numerous as they were back then. The US helps Africa a great deal but just not enough; the food crisis must be balanced out along with saving Africa and its people. In many cases, Africans actually starve not because of famine, but the cost of food. Africans earning two dollars a day are actually in good shape compared to the even lower classes. Camps thoughout Africa have been with out seeds to plant for over 20 years which means no crops to reproduce or create fertil ground for food. The farmers of Africa are forced to plant seeds on non-fertil sand of man-made deserts. The price of moving and rotating the crops on the farm land are very strenous and needs hard manual labor. Since they dont do this the land is overused and will not be productive for many seasons to come. The only way to reverse this process is to spend money; money that they dont have. A farmer will earn only 16 dollars a month. Cattle is one of the most useful animals for farmers in terms of survival. However, cattle also need to eat and they end up dying anyway because of droughts-lack of water. Camos

A spider web of problems throughout the world has been caused by the increase of corn production. Mexico has had to calm food riots by ordering a cash boost for their poor to help them cope with the extreme food prices. Similar problems are being dealt with in Zimbabwe and Argentina. India, the second most populace country and perhaps third in the list of countries most affected, is needlessly starving because they produce most of the rice for the world. America is in good condition but could be viewed as part of the problem. The US uses most of the fuel and therefore will be hurt the most when the time for a replacement for oil is needed. President Bush has tried to help by offering $770 million dollars to the cause. Still, America is not focused on lowering food prices but the war on Iraq. America spends 60 billion dollars a year on the war.

What the world needs now is communication, sweet communication because that’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. Countries have to help each other out because we are all in this together. Ban Ki-moon spoke to reporters on the second day of a U.N.-organized summit in Rome to deal with food security on June 4. To put it simply, countries have came to the conclusion that in order to end the food crisis, the economies need to spend $20 billion a year. Many small steps can be taken to deal with immediate problems such as improveing the international trade system to make the prices reasonable, promote humanitarian aid to the more vunerable populations, boost harvests, invest more in agriculture, and support governments that are barely coping through this crisis. A fight to survive is what many are doing and help is what they need. Also, the global economy needs to have a meeting to discuss the future of the biofuel campaign. Many researchers even believe ethanol production is a dead end; even if America grew corn at 100% the demand is still too high to fuel cars in the US alone. With that in mind, a drastic solution must be planned for a fuel-free future. However, we should be uplifted by the fact that the world of ours is capable of feeding itself. The food crisis is ridiculous in proportions because the food is there yet unobtainable to those who desperately need it. An important priority for economies globally is to encourage farmers to grow staples other than corn. The sad truth is that while some are struggling to fuel their cars others are trying to feed there stomachs. While all of these things have turned it into an immediate problem it has been a long time comeing; we should have done something sooner.

It is shown that over the last 20 years this has been an obvious conclusion and the now skyrocketing prices are the result of turning a blind eye to it all this time.

This is a major problem therefore we need a major solution. Most people in the world are saying in order to avoid future problems such as this, to make a Safety Net System. It would be the top 30 countries in need of aid and this while not keeping prices lower this should keep it from becomeing a situation where if prices dont lower no one will starve, this is the long term solution that has been developed. What is being done for the short term is for the world's agricultural scientists to start working on making the seeds able to stand up to harsher wheather conditions so that the countries that are haveing the problems with starvation will be able to try and help themselves more than they are able to now. This is proposed because all the land that is being farmed right now is all the land that is seen as farmable in countries like China and America. So now the direction we have to go is getting more production out of the land. The biofuel propaganda needs to be shot down as well as the war with Iraq. Predicting Obama will be America's new president, I believe he will pull US troops from war and focus them more on the security of America. Too much lives have been lost as well as money that could've been used for other-dare I say more useful- purposes. Considering the current fluctuation of food and gas prices, it was almost to late when Pres. Bush finally pressed the issue. As for the biofuel/ethanol dream for the world, a disappointment waiting to happen is what I think it really is. Worldwide investment in biofuels rose from $5 billion in 1995 to $38 billion in 2005 and is expected to top $100 billion by 2010, thanks to investors Ford, Shell, and GE and BP. Scientists and environmentalists believe these biofuels will decrease global warming but like everybody else, unsure of their position on the matter. Yes it is a possiblity but what effect will it have on the world? Global Warming has already been affected from an increase of carbon emissions from destruction of cattle pastures, the Amazon, rainforest, and such to make room for more crop fields. People have enough to worry about than to think about the future, and that is why world governments need step it up and act. http://english.people.com.cn/200608/08/images/0807_B82.jpg http://cache.boston.com/resize/bonzai-fba/AP_Photo/2008/05/25/1211707056_1919/539w.jpg
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 * __Action:__** Below is a copy of an email reply from the American Red Cross Organization. NOT A GOVERNMENT AGENCY BUT FUNDED BY DONATIONS! Since its founding in 1881 by visionary leader Clara Barton, the American Red Cross has been the nation's leading emergency response organization. As part of a worldwide movement that offers selfless humanitarian care to the victims of war, the American Red Cross distinguishes itself by also aiding victims of devastating natural disasters. Over the years, the organization has expanded its services, always with the aim of preventing and relieving suffering. We will try to provide some aid to the victims of the earthquake in Sichuan province, China by raising money and donating it to the Red Cross. The death toll is 69,016 with just as many displaced and homeless. This is just one of many places that need help but we figure to just randomly choose a cause rather than pick one one for the other. All human life is equel in value and should be treated as such. Also we can be assured the money we raised is going to our chosen cause because the Red Cross allows you to, as easy as a click of a button. We'll raise money by presenting our information to our peers with major points and visuals such as a posterboard. By the end of this project, we hope to come up with at least fifty dollars; just to make it a challenge.

Dear Stan:
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Thank you for contacting the American Red Cross. If you visit our website, [|www.redcross.org] and go to "Donate Now" you will see that there are choices for those who wish to donate. These funds are not "mixed" -- the" International Response Fund" is only used for international disaster relief and the "Disaster Relief Fund" is only used for domestic disasters, and so forth. Regarding the International Relief Fund, the funds are transferred to the Red Cross Society in the country that has experienced the disaster.

The American Red Cross is grateful for the support of compassionate donors who provide assistance to people in their time of need at home and around the world.

You can help those affected by countless crises around the world each year, like the China earthquake, by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance, and other support to help those in need. Please call 1-800-RED CROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish).

The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of your donation. If you would like to designate your donation to the China earthquake please call 1-800-RED CROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish).

Contributions to the International Response Fund may be mailed to your local American Red Cross chapter. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.

To find out more information, you can visit www.redcross.org and [|www.ifrc.org].

Thank you again for your thoughtfulness.

Sincerely, American Red Cross Public Inquiry / p

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply; teaches lifesaving skills; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization ? not a government agency ? and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at [|www.redcrosschat.org]. -Original Message- From: s_kao_11@yahoo.com Sent: May 28, 2008 12:25:06 AM Subject: Corporate Partnership

email: s_kao_11@yahoo.com

inquiry type: Corporate Partnership

questions: Im a student in highschool and Im doing a class project aimed toward helping those in need such as people affected by the earthquake in China. I understand that I can give my donations i recieve to you, who will direct the money to the right cause. Is it as simple as sending it to you in a envelope? or more complicated? Thank you

Works Cited "Africa Food Prices Cause Malnutritioned Children." __VOA News__. 6 May 2008 . "Africa Reacts to Food Price Challenge." __VOA News__. 6 May 2008 . "Asian Bank in Food Crisis Warning." __BBC News__. 4 June 2008 <[|http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7381916.stm>. "Bush Requests More Food Aid for Global Poor." __VOA News__. 6 May 2008 . "Cisco Reports 5% Drop in Quarterly Profit." __MarketWatch__. 6 May 2008 . "Corn Price Hits Record High; Rice Price Declines." __VOA News__. 6 May 2008 . "Food Price Crisis Called Global Hunger Emergency." __VOA News__. 6 May 2008 . "Food Prices Skyrocketing in China." __VOA__. 4 June 2008 . "High Food Prices Increase Hunger." __MarketWatch__. 27 May 2008 . "High Food Prices Mean Some Africans Eat Less." __VOA News__. 6 May 2008 <http://www.voanews.com/english/africa/2008-05-06-voa69.cfm?rss=economy%20and%20finance>. "India Rejects Blame for Higher Global Food Prices." __VOA News__. 6 May 2008 <http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-05-05-voa20.cfm?rss=economy%20and%20finance>. "Mexico's Poor Get Cash Boost." __BBC News__. 27 May 2008 <[|http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7421237.stm>.<span] style="mso-spacerun: yes"> "Price Increases Stretch Red Cross." __BBC News__. 27 May 2008 <[|http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7421959.stm>.<span] style="mso-spacerun: yes"> "U.N. Chief: $20B a Year to End Food Crisis- Countries and Donors Must Spend as Much as $20 Billion a Year If the World is to End the Food Crisis." __ CNN __. 4 June 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/06/04/food.summit/index.html?eref=rss_world>. "U.N. Chief: $20B a Year to End Food Crisis- Countries and Donors Must Spend as Much as $20 Billion a Year If the World is to End the Food Crisis." __ CNN __. 4 June 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/06/04/food.summit/index.html?eref=rss_world>. "UN Forms Task Force to Deal with Global Food Crisis." __VOA News__. 6 May 2008 <http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-05-05-voa53.cfm?rss=economy%20and%20finance>. "US Senate Panel Considers Response to Global Food Crisis." __VOA News__. 18 May 2008 <http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-05-14-voa62.cfm?rss=united%20states>.

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