Riz Khan - Global food crisis and unrest? - 14April08 - Pt 1

We take a look at the violence breaking out over the rise of global food prices.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Riz
• Khan
• al
• jazeera
• aljazeera
• Global
• food
• crisis
• egypt
• haiti
• violence
• saple
• foods

[Palle016]

Those governmental tax caps have hit so wrong, instead increasing prices even more since the international market has a smaller resource as well as sellers at domestic markets half heartedly want to sell their wares for less than the international market price.

[turboman808]

Very naive. Rest of the world suffers for our prosperity. It has to come from somewhere. Either by force or manipulation America gets what it wants. What is sad is I have been called un-American for saying things like this even though it's the truth. So how in the fuck are we setting a good example for the rest of the world. But it's people like you that don't have weapon, don't have food stored and don't have an alternative to your current way of living. Good Luck!

[cheaserceaser]

What is going to happen as all the developed nation's population slowly dies off due to low fertility. Who is then going to export and fund the food program to exploding developing countries? Clearly, population growth must be addressed in both developed and developing countries.

[MrsSarb]

Why does America get blamed for ALL the bad things that happen in this world all the time? We have a good standard of living mostly because of our political system and because of our freedoms. We should be setting a good example to the rest of the world to follow rather than allowing the rest of the world to destroy our standard of living.

[lproth]

So you don't have to trade or borrow money. But you do have to have some kind of investment. Most 3rd world nations leaders chose to invest in arms and themselves. not farms, roads, rails, ports and education. pick any of these countries and look at their infrostructure when they were colonies and now. surprise no change in the positive, all negative growth.

[spacing2]

Isn't it so obvious. We aren't meant to be functioning as a society. We aren't here to help each other. We don't think equally of each other.  The people behind the money are our slave drivers and we are being forced into conformism. This is truth. Like it or not you are a sheep. Bioenergy technology is widely researched and production is ready to go. How much more money are they making by restricting our rights. Not the government, the banks. Government=distraction.

[nibirushock]

And as a result.. the poor countries most tied to agriculture pay the price.. all protection from price shocks has been flayed away, by organisations such as the IMF, WTO and the World Bank. There's no option to dip into grain reserves because they've been sold off to service debt.. and there's no way of increasing the income of the poorest, because social programmes have been cut to the bone. So, first we need to dismantle one of the great myths that free trade helps farmers and the poor.

[lproth]

Growing food and transporting it is very energy demanding. Also requires good infrastructure. Many of the nations that are importing food now did not want to spend money on roads, rail,equipment and mills.You know even basic food needs some processing. It was cheaper to import than to invest in substance level farmers. Also 1/2 the worlds people live in cities. You tell me how a 1 acre dirt farmer is going to grow process and transport enough food to feed a one million + city 365 days a year.

[nibirushock]

The present food crisis is no coincidence.

Oil prices rose from $25 a barrel in Sept. 2003 to $116.10 a barrel on April 18, 2008. Thanks to the IMF, World Bank & WTO's 'free trade in agriculture'.. there's an unjust corporate controlled industrial food system, making food sovereignty impossible and removing developing countries' ability to stockpile grain. Subsidizing support only goes to bigger-scale farmers.. NOT to smaller-scale farmers.. as a result there's NO protection from price shocks.

[jammoexii]

It sounds horrible but it's basically correct. We have FINITE resources. You can't have infinite growth with finite resources.

That doesn't mean mass slaughter, mind you, obviously the only remotely humane way is through strict birth control. That is MUCH better than mass starvation, which now is more likely.