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211 Comments
- Wargalas, on 04/22/2008, -7/+42Hey, I got an idea, how about we feed OURSELVES, before we feed the world?
- TomK88, on 04/22/2008, -5/+40Has their been a country in the history of the world that has succeeded by being given everything? The only way 3rd world countries are going to break the cycle is if they create for themselves.
- inactive, on 04/22/2008, -1/+22We are seeing massive inflation in the prices of food here too. The problem with setting out to feed the world can be found in our attempt at feeding the starving Somalians. It didn't take long before the food was being stolen and used by warlords to entice people into supporting their wishes.
I have as much compassion for the starving people as anyone but I also see the logistic problems of getting food to them.
I support a couple of NGO's that feed people as well as our local food bank.
Right now a gallon of farm fuel is $3.75 which means the farmer needs to make more money just to pay for operating expenses. This has led to a price for corn of $6/bu.
I don't see an answer as long as our currencies keep losing value. - teamparadox, on 04/22/2008, -2/+22Lots of Middle Eastern countries are also worried about the prices of food. What they fail to realize is the price of food is related to the price of oil. You cant be selling the world expensive oil and also expect cheap food. Alot of crops are going to make ethanol to help offset the price of gas while at the same time alot of traditional farmers are switching to growing corn and wheat to sell to companies to make ethanol as well which puts a strain on the rest of the farmers growing more diverse crops.
The price of oil is probably truly around $50 a barrel with $50+ markup right upfront under the guise of cost of pumping and refinement going up.
Think about it. - Wholekernalcorn, on 04/22/2008, -0/+18Europe and the US won't give up the idea that bio-fuels will save the planet.
- Maevirko69, on 04/22/2008, -4/+19The price of food is being driven up by US federal subsidies of corn production for ethanol. Congress is trying to buy votes from the Midwest. Farmers have stopped growing wheat and other food products, because the government pays them to raise corn as a cash crop. Supply of wheat, rice, and corn for food have all dropped. Prices have gone up as a result. This also affects meat prices, since the cost of animal feed rises with the cost of corn. Most of the world relies on US farms for food, and the US controls a large portion of the world's food supply. This is only going to get worse as time goes on and ethanol production increases, unless we switch to using something like sugarcane ethanol like Brazil (which is also much more energy efficient too!).
- cheezintern, on 04/22/2008, -1/+14bread makers are awsome, I dunno why starving people in south America and Africa just don't get one and make their own.
- CrypticSkeptic, on 04/22/2008, -1/+14Feeding Africa should not be a world goal. Giving them free food, will never solve the deep problems facing Africa. Giving them food is merely a band aid solution, and actually only contributes to the problem in two ways:
1) Makes them more depended.
2) Artificially encourages further reproduction of offspring, which further compound the initial problem.
The only foreign that should be supplied to Africa is in the form of prophylactics and other methods aimed at reducing the birth rate:
1) Condoms, male and female.
2) Free abortions
3) Free vasectomies/ or tubal ligation. - JimSwarthow, on 04/22/2008, -4/+15hey here's a crazy idea, stop using crops to make fking ethanol?!? that's where the problem stems from and if we continue to cut off our nose to spite our face the problem will only get worse.
---- Demand for ethanol and other biofuels is a "significant contributor" to soaring food prices around the world, World Bank President Robert Zoellick says. ----
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?story ... - mazza558, on 04/22/2008, -4/+15Solution to expensive bread: bake your own.
- It's cheaper
- It's a lot better for you - LordVoldemort, on 04/22/2008, -0/+11"grocery bills are driving up inflation"
You mean: "inflation is driving up grocery bills" - vaga222, on 04/22/2008, -0/+11Yeah the "Standard Load Costs £1" but I can still buy a loaf of bread for 26p in tesco and (If I'm really wanting to save money) 18p in Lidl.
- vaga222, on 04/22/2008, -0/+10Best thing you can do is get a bread maker, put the stuff in it at night and have it ready for you just before you wake up. Not only is is great bread but your whole house smells of freshly baked bread :)
- Jetfire, on 04/22/2008, -2/+12Can we now stop burning our food for fuel. Anyone who didn't see this coming when we wanted to make corn a fuel source is an idiot.
- 11oops, on 04/22/2008, -2/+12Foreign oil is purchased with domestic currency.
- flashingcurser, on 04/22/2008, -0/+9Your right. Farmers use fuel, commodity distributors use fuel, food processing plants use fuel, grocery warehouses use fuel, and finally grocery stores use fuel. I wonder what the common denominator is?
- doktorrocket, on 04/22/2008, -0/+8But then how will they know it's Christmas time?
- eigenweasel, on 04/22/2008, -0/+8I tried feeding ducks with Lidl bread once. They flew off.
- Needles13, on 04/22/2008, -2/+10We could always get rid of huge grass lawns and plant vegetables. It won't cure hunger, but it won't be a waste of water, and it will certainly help, in developed countries anyway.
Stopping ethanol is also a good idea. It's ruining peoples lives in Mexico by doubling the price of corn. - secrity, on 04/22/2008, -1/+8The US has lived on a meat / dairy based diet for over 100 years and I see no reason for Americans to be told that they have to change.this. We DO need to stop consuming CORN SYRUP as a substitute for cane or beet sugar..
- MaximusD, on 04/22/2008, -4/+11I'm surprised at the pessimism and lack of compassion I see here in many posts. Most of these countries are being or have been exploited by the "first world" nations. Their lack of stability and developmental growth is the direct cause of colonialism and neocolonialism. Furthermore, if you RTFA it tells you exactly why there is a food shortage: selfish economic policies by more powerful nations that adversely affect the third world. These countries have no control over whether China demands more beef or whether the US is actually stupid enough to run automobiles on corn. Trade agreements like CAFTA has also leveraged countries like Guatemala into importing subsidized food from the US instead of developing their own agricultural sustainablity, leaving them even more vulnerable to first world economic policies that have little regard for these countries' welfare. The only "natural" problem is Australia's drought -- which may or may not be a symptom of climate change. Anyway, if it was just Australia's drought, this wouldn't be the crisis it is now. The problem is food is being TAKEN AWAY from the third world to feed powerful nation's unsustainable habits.
The majority of people who starve to death are children. The other most impacted group is women. This is an unequal power dynamic that has very little to do with not having enough capacity to produce food for every mouth in the world. If global hunger was a priority to European, American and Chinese politicians, we wouldn't be having this problem. - matador3, on 04/22/2008, -0/+7I think he's suggesting not paying farmers anything.
- TomK88, on 04/22/2008, -0/+7Yes, I made a mistake. Congrats for finding it!
- marx2k, on 04/22/2008, -0/+7Unfortunately, so does the guy who controls the oil. And the water.
- itstodd, on 04/22/2008, -1/+8In a utopian world yes we can. Since we dont live in one, and there is evil out there and men with out the balls to stop them. No we cant.
- Wargalas, on 04/22/2008, -0/+7Obviously, my point was missed upon the idiots who commented. I MEANT feed our hungry folks first. You know, like the homeless and people who are struggling.
- tradwolley, on 04/22/2008, -2/+9Part of the problem is mismanagement. That and farm subsidies; why are we paying farmers NOT to use their fields to grow crops when people are starving?
- cheezintern, on 04/22/2008, -0/+6we do. Our government buys excess crops and undersells developing countries(i.e. cotton).
- londubh, on 04/22/2008, -2/+8I hear soylent green can feed the world.
- mythicflux, on 04/22/2008, -1/+7Or perhaps we should start looking at already viable alternative power sources? Electric cars powered with electricity generated by nuclear power plants would completely eliminate the need to waste farmland on fuel. As a stop gap till we develop hydrogen fuel cell technologies, nuclear/electric power is an already proven technology.
- funkywood, on 04/22/2008, -1/+7And what is the government's solution? Is it increase the supply of food by making it economical for third world countries to grow their own without being undercut by subsidised big-farma or maybe decrease the demand by encouraging greedy people to eat less?
No. Lets increase the supply of money by giving a few token millions in 'aid' and hope that all the citizens are too ignorant of economics to realise this is total *****. - RussianBlaze, on 04/22/2008, -0/+6 ....There is an official International Rice Research Institute?.... sorry back on topic...
- eigenweasel, on 04/22/2008, -1/+7How do the folk who blame 'biofuels' for rising food prices explain the fact that rice has risen in price more than any other staple foodstuff?
There are over 6,000,000,000 people on the planet whereas in 1950 there were only 2,500,000,000 and almost the entirety of that growth has taken place in countries which cannot feed themselves. Perhaps that has just a little something to do with it. - slightlygifted, on 04/22/2008, -2/+7no. 1st world countries are fine we have a pretty much neutral population growth rate. but over in ***** sudan and pakistan or whatever the ***** these countries name themselves, everyone wants to have 7 kids to carry on the family name and *****. let them learn that eating and having 1 or 2 kids to "carry on the family" is better than 7 kids and no food.
- fsjenkins2000, on 04/22/2008, -0/+5Whoever controls the food controls the world
- crump199, on 04/22/2008, -3/+8What are you suggesting, that we pay farmers to GROW crops in their fields?
That's the craziest thing I've ever heard. - PaisleyTeal, on 04/23/2008, -0/+5It is English. Google for a pound to dollar converter--I soon found http://www.x-rates.com/
A pound is worth roughly $2. Don't be an ugly American and expect everyone to cater to you. - inactive, on 04/22/2008, -3/+8Everyone relax. According to the Immutable Laws of The Magic Marketplace, as soon as it is good for business to feed starving people, the people will be fed. If you die of starvation before The Magic Marketplace decides you are worth feeding it's because you chose to be born worthless. The Magic Marketplace is always right.
Move along. Nothing to see here. - Daiken, on 04/22/2008, -0/+5Investors are screwing with the price of oil. If you're going to design the world to run on one resource, you have to expect people are going to start price gouging.
- crump199, on 04/22/2008, -0/+5It's always something...
- slightlygifted, on 04/22/2008, -2/+7***** start a revelution! pretty much every democracy on earth has had to go through one in order to become one. if they keep ***** up the country and dont get bailed out by the 1st world countries, the people will get pissed.
- tommy68, on 04/22/2008, -3/+8why is it white countries responsibility to feed these poor countries. We have poor and starving here. All it does is keep a cycle of over breeding and starving going, these people have 3 kids they cant feed, so they have 5 more. at some point they need to look at themselves. Flame on bleeding heart libs
- DiggsOnlyJew, on 04/22/2008, -0/+5Excuse me, could you please explain how anything he is trying to say is racist...
- Sinai, on 04/22/2008, -0/+5Where have you been the last 10 years? Maybe you missed the fact that there's been ongoing water shortages in California. Good luck growing more crops without water.
- evilgoatbob, on 04/22/2008, -1/+6whoooooooooooooooooosh
- dracflamloc, on 04/22/2008, -2/+6No electricity and access to a place to buy such a thing with money they dont have?
- prag, on 04/22/2008, -1/+5We can barely keep up with the current needs for food aid. The number of people requiring aid is going to skyrocket if current trends in food prices continue. Rising prices also limit the reach of what aid is available. People are going to starve. Oddly this doesn't even help reduce the population pressure as people who experience high child mortality tend to have children at higher-than replacement rates. This increases the problem and aid requirements.
We either need to commit to solving the causes for hunger or strongly consider providing euthanasia to ease the suffering. A trickle of food aid is almost more cruel. - AmonAmarth, on 04/22/2008, -0/+4making it by hand isn't particularly time consuming either, mixing the ingredients takes about 15 minutes, then it takes about 2 hours to rise which you don't really have to be present for. i make ***** tons of dough and then put it in my fridge, and just rip a piece off whenever i feel like bread and throw it in the oven, and it's done within a half hour. i never got a bread maker because they're a pain in the ass to clean.
- inactive, on 04/22/2008, -3/+7Why should it be the established world's responsibly to feed people who seem incapable of building self sustainable nations?
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