Increasing Fuel Prices Cause Food Shortages Around the World
 Biofuel |
Today’s world is plagued by hunger and war, and despite all technological advancement, these are two things that humanity has been unable to eradicate since ancient times.
With global warming, the earth’s climate has changed drastically, influencing the seasons and thus crop growth around the globe. While global warming is contributing on one end to the ever-increasing food prices, another major contributor to this issue is oil.
OIL vs FOOD
The fossil fuels are undergoing fast depletion with excessive usage, and as the stock runs out, the prices increase steadily. But how does rising fuel cost affect food, you may ask.
Fertilizers are one of the by-products of oil refining. Increases in fuel costs directly affect the cost of fertilizers. Then of course, an increase in fertilizer prices, leads to increased food pricing.
Fuel is also required for the transportation of food from farms to the local markets, or for export.
We also have to examine the new trend in biofuel. Several crops today, including corn and sugar cane, are mostly grown for biofuel, leaving less food for people to eat!
While maize is the staple food of Africa, it the most widely used biofuel in America. As much as food is important, fuel is also important, and the nations are torn between attempts to attain a balance between both.
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES MOST HIT
In fast growing nations like India and China, higher incomes have driven a growing demand for processed foods and meat. In these two countries, there has been a rise in consumption of poultry, meat, fruits and vegetables, while per-capita consumption of grains have decreased.
There is an increasing global change in food patterns. Such shifts need more grains and edible oil in low-income countries like Africa, Asia and Latin America.
With increasing literacy, fewer people are left in the fields for agriculture. And at the same time, population has also been steadily rising. More people, more demand, and lesser food, automatically means increase in pricing.
India and Brazil have imposed a ban on rice exports to feed it’s own population. Several riots have broken out all over the world in protest against the food price hiking, causing much injury and death.
ROLE OF THE US IN SOLVING THE HUNGER CRISIS
The food stamp program is the largest of the federal domestic food assistance programs. Another such attempt is the school meal program. Schools participating in this program are paid to provide breakfasts and lunches to children at either free or subsidized rates.
The US has also intervened into the Haiti government to pacify riots caused by the food crisis. Haiti is now the third largest country to import rice from the US at subsidized rates.
The White House also released $200 million in emergency wheat stores to developing countries to help ease the burden on the neediest people.
As of today, the United States supplies for about half of the world’s total food aid.
Written by Fluorescent EfficiencyEnergy Efficient Compact Fluorescent Lighting
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