Feeding The World in the Face of Poverty

In the past, I did a lot of blogging about Agriculture (see Common Sense Agriculture, Conservation and Energy).  After all, agriculture is how I make my living.  The opinion article linked below is about the future of feeding the world.  I hope that you will take the time to read it and go to the linked information.  It is important.

Poverty and Lack of Research Block Path to a Well-Fed World

The lack of good governance is at the root of much of the poverty in the world.  Political corruption is one of the biggest problems in Africa and Latin America as well as parts of the Middle East, Asia and many of the former Soviet states.  It is a primary reason for the abject poverty of their people.

Bio-fuels Impact on Food Pricing Depends on Location

The impact of bio-fuels on the price of food has been debated almost from the initiation of the U.S. Renewable Fuels Standards (RFS). Most U.S. studies place the impact at 25% or below. A recent EU study places it at 75%. I have seen figures that indicate the impact to be around 150% in Africa. In spite of the apparent inconsistency of these numbers, they reflect the reality of food in each of the areas mentioned.

In the U.S., the majority of food consumed is highly processed. It comes frequently in ready-to-eat packaging, or in heat-and-serve form. In that case, the raw food product makes up only a small percentage of the overall cost of the finished product. A significant increase in the raw commodity price has only minimal effect on the cost of the consumer-ready item.

In Europe, food preferences favor less processing. The items are impacted more by increases in the basic commodity price. In Africa, food items are frequently the raw commodity and all preparation occurs after purchase. In that case, the raw commodity price makes up an extremely high percentage of the cost of the item with the remainder going to transportation costs and profits through the production-to-retailer chain.

The bottom line is that bio-fuels do have a significant impact on worldwide food prices. The severity of that impact depends on the affluence of the society that we are examining. Those least able to afford the impact are the ones most greatly affected.

Tomato Industry Bust Now Lets Tank the Jalapeno Growers

Losses to the tomato industry mount and we still don't know the cause of the salmonella outbreak. Why? Because it's extremely difficult to track down is why.

People panic. The media hypes the danger. We all lose.

It will be a long time before the tomato industry recovers the $100 million plus that it has lost during this debacle. Now the jalapeno growers are facing a similar situation.

The Democrats are using the issue to push for more controls. "Let's have farm of origin labelling," the say. They don't stop to think of the cost. Add the cost of implementation to the $100 million already lost and the tomato industry may never recover. So, let's throw government money at the problem. Either way, the consumer will pay for it. We will face much higher prices for tomatoes for some time now because of shortages.

Dear consumer: WASH YOUR FOOD WHEN PREPARING IT! It won't cure all ills but it will help. Be thankful for such an abundant supply and assortment.

Help: Guest Worker Program Wanted

Farm labor -- particularly seasonal labor in fruit and vegetable farming -- is a difficult issue. Most of the jobs last for only short periods and are difficult, back-breaking, hot, laborious jobs. They are jobs that few U.S. workers will take. They often are for low wages.

Just across the border to the south of many large agricultural areas where fruits and vegetables are primary crops, live large numbers of unemployed, or underemployed, workers who would jump at the chance to gain additional income by working in the fields. They are hindered from doing so by the border.

Border security is a major issue for our country. It is one that I won't dwell on in this post. It is also a factor in how to deal with the issue of migrant labor from south of the border.

It is time for a guest worker program. It must be part of a larger immigration reform that provides for border security. It is important for agriculture and therefore important to the U.S. consumer who desires -- and even demands -- low-cost, reliable food supplies.

Escalating Food and Fuel Costs Create Security Concerns

What would happen if escalating fuel and food costs created widespread unrest in China? The first thought is that the government would crack-down in a very harsh manner to stop any political unrest. A second possible scenario is that their eyes would turn elsewhere -- perhaps to the perceived source of their woes. The United States? No. The Middle East. Oil prices are driving the other problems.

With the taste of capitalistic advances in the economy, the Chinese people will not be satisfied with a heavy-handed state policy to force them to "absorb" fuel price increases without some resistance. The size of the Chinese population is such that unrest could quickly grow to a size that would be difficult to handle by the internal police and military. So, the logical approach for the Chinese government is to attempt to redirect that energy. A destabilized China would be a dangerous thing indeed.

Re-thinking Indian Agriculture

Growth of the Indian economy is one of the contributing factors to escalating oil and food prices in the world. Oil is an area that little can be done about by India. Agriculture and food production is another issue altogether. But, it is an area that will require new thinking by the government in order to find a solution.

The Green Revolution saw India transform from a nation that was starving into a nation that fed itself. The evolution into an industrialized economy however, has left agriculture behind and placed pressure on farmers that was unheard of several years ago. State control of agricultural infrastructure such as granaries and also policies regarding pricing of commodities have slowly pushed the farm sector to the brink of collapse in many areas.

Almost 50% of India is arable land suitable for agriculture. Much of that land is being lost to urbanization and industrialization. There is little incentive for farmers to produce crops when they can sell their land to developers at inflated prices. Especially when they are barely surviving from farming income.

India needs to revisit its internal agricultural policies. They need to re-examine pricing mechanisms for all inputs and all produce. They need to address infrastructure needs. Instead, the government policies seem to focus on industrial and technological sectors at the expense of agriculture. Growing import requirements for food may cause them to look again. The next Green Revolution in India will need to include better mechanisms for food transport and a free-market approach to prices.

Africa Should Be Feeding Itself

The amount of arable land in Africa is sufficient for feeding the people of that continent. According to the FAO, only 14% of Africa's arable land is under cultivation. So, what's the problem?

The first is good governance. Until there is a stable political environment in the various countries on the continent, there can be no long-term effort to alleviate the other issues that are faced.

The second is infrastructure. Much of Africa remains barely accessible by road and rail. Many of the roads are not all-weather surfaces and thus subject to seasonal usage. Grain handling facilities are inadequate. Water resources for irrigation are non-existent. Produce is generally brought to local markets and not easily transported to population centers.

The third is dependence on foreign aid. The problem with the aid is that it has been misdirected. The misdirection takes two forms. One is that corrupt officials sometimes seek to profit from the aid. The second is that it is a band-aid approach -- treating the symptoms and not the causes. The aid needs to be in the form of technical assistance to develop good governance and the necessary infrastructure for the country. It also should be targeted at developing farming technology suitable to local conditions and the necessary systems to move produce to market. Humanitarian aid will be necessary until Africa can feed itself.

The fourth major issue is outside interference. This often takes the form of political pressure from governments seeking access to natural resources such as oil. However, of greater concern to the local people are pressures from environmental and other do-good groups to "preserve" large tracts of land that could be feeding people. There is a need for good conservation measures and the preservation of bio-diversity, however, the needs of the people should be weighed in any measure aimed at soothing the misguided souls who would sacrifice the people of Africa to assuage their feelings of guilt over their Western lifestyle. It is a "we-got-ours" but "you-can't-have-yours" approach.

Africa needs to build on the resources of the continent. Land for agriculture is number one. Instead, many African leaders see a panacea by leap-frogging into a more industrialized economy. They need to capitalize on what they have first and then build from that.

There are many other issues. The above list is merely the beginning.

African Infrastructure and Agriculture

The food situation in many parts of the world is critical. Here in the U.S. we complain about rising prices yet our grocery shelves continue to be well-stocked with every imaginable item of food.

Africa is one continent that experiences chronic food shortages. In addition to the shortages, the rising price of food commodities makes it difficult to impossible for many of the poorest to purchase their food needs.

There are many reasons for the problems faced by Africa. The largest is the seemingly unending political unrest in every nation on the continent. The unrest is fueled by greed, corruption, inter-tribal warfare, religious persecution, inadequate infrastructure, difficult terrain and interference by external groups whose agendas often are at odds with the general welfare of the people.

The U.S. has been the largest provider of aid to Africa for many years. That aid is funnelled through various groups including both private and governmental charities. Much of the food aid is channeled through the World Food Program of the U.N. The trouble with such charity is that it does nothing to solve the cause. It merely treats the symptoms.

The U.S. Milleneum Challenge Corporation and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa have formed an alliance focused on helping the small-scale farmers of Africa develop their farming enterprises rather than rely on outside capital to come into the various agricultural areas to develop corporate-scale farming. Part of their focus is to build the necessary infrastructure to allow the small-scale farmers to get their produce to market. It is estimated that 40% of the farm products are lost due to the inability to store properly or to transport food crops.

We take for granted the vast network of paved roads in the U.S. We forget how critical they are to keeping our grocery shelves stocked with an astounding assortment of food products. The realities in Africa are vastly different.