Topic: Food Around the World - a growing issue of concern

[Pandora]

Here ....

..... is a chart dealing with food self-sufficiency. It is measuring, in calories, (exports-imports)/consumption. Green marks countries with high food self-sufficiency and the scale moves to red, which marks countries poorly able to feed themselves, much less export food (original Net Trade in Food chart).

Anybody following the current unrest in North Africa and the Middle East will immediately note that the area is bathed in red. Add in the percentage of a person's income spent on food and the picture looks even worse. For example, both Spain and Algeria are dark red, yet the Spanish spend only 14.6% of their incomes on food, while Algerians spend a whopping 44% on food.

That means that if World food prices go up they'll cut into the discretionary spending of the Spanish, while they'll cut to the bone in places like Algeria.

The Chinese are having a crop failure, but they have money to buy food imports. That, and the increasing transport costs due to rising oil prices, means that the price of food will go up. This does not bode well for stability of any post demonstration/revolution Middle Eastern and North African governments. I think it will almost certainly extend the instability of an already unstable region.

I suspect that whatever governments arise from the latest unrest -- be they better, worse, or more or less more of the same -- that it is likely those governments themselves will be swept away if people grow hungrier. This is going to be a multi-year bumpy ride - Europe, which is already turning to the right is going to face an onslaught of refugees, while the food exporting countries are going to be relentlessly hectored by the UN Food Justice folks.

To end this post, Peter Menzel has put together a series of photographs showing family's weekly expenditures in food around the world. Below, and after the jump, are a few of those photos (from Fresh Pics' What the World Eats Around the World which has more pictures as well as descriptions):

More interesting pics.

Be sure to check out the link (at "Here") to the UN "Food Justice" UNsanity, where they hold that food "should be declared a human right" - supplied for free, of course, by the food-producing nations - and opine that:

Global initiatives are challenging current models of trade and market liberalisation to focus on food sovereignty to allow people to determine their own economically and culturally appropriate agriculture, food and land policies.

"Allowed", that is, to be prevented from accessing GM foods, whereby blindness in children in India can be prevented by vitamin-modified rice.

Original H/T to waitaminnit.

[IronDioPriest]

If our own Democrats and Republicans would stop using our tax dollars to pay the agricultural industry to divert perfectly good food-crop land to grow corn they then force us to burn in our gas tanks, global food prices and shortages might not be what they are.

There are VERY few issues where I concern myself with how the rest of the world views America, but this is one. I wonder what it looks like when a nation whose people by all current and historical standards have eliminated poverty, burns the product of millions of acres of the world's most fertile farm land in our gas tanks, in order to fuel a lifestyle that no other nation can, paying for it with debt - while 16,000 children per day literally starve to death.

If I was viewing this dynamic from abroad, I believe I would have a very cynical view. And yes, Charles Grassley, I'm talking to you.

[John Florida]

If our own Democrats and Republicans would stop using our tax dollars to pay the agricultural industry to divert perfectly good food-crop land to grow corn they then force us to burn in our gas tanks, global food prices and shortages might not be what they are.

There are VERY few issues where I concern myself with how the rest of the world views America, but this is one. I wonder what it looks like when a nation whose people by all current and historical standards have eliminated poverty, burns the product of millions of acres of the world's most fertile farm land in our gas tanks, in order to fuel a lifestyle that no other nation can, paying for it with debt - while 16,000 children per day literally starve to death.

If I was viewing this dynamic from abroad, I believe I would have a very cynical view. And yes, Charles Grassley, I'm talking to you.

 Now that DC has made addicts of the corn growers how are they going to get them off the DC money shuffle?If I was in a country that didn't rely on corn imports from the U.S. I would be thanking D.C for making that move and giving me a raise that I would never had seen without producing more.


  The countries that were depending on us would just plain old hate us for raising prices or starving people.But hey were not drilling for oil so that's a good thing.Cause God forbid we should replace food crops with oil.

[charlesoakwood]

Re:#1

Are you suggesting Grassley, by pushing investigations of GunRunner, is trying to divert attention from his un-American activities.

[Pandora]

Are you suggesting Grassley, by pushing investigations of GunRunner, is trying to divert attention from his un-American activities.

I suspect he means Grassley comes from an ethanol-subsidy state.

[charlesoakwood]

Yes, the same Grassley that first introduced the letter about GunRunner.
And same Grassley promoting we burn our food is un-American.

[Pandora]

::tiptoeing away::

[Pandora]

BTW, anybody else looks at the rest of the pics?  I found them very interesting.  Mexican family luuuvs their cola.

[IronDioPriest]

Yes, the same Grassley that first introduced the letter about GunRunner.
And same Grassley promoting we burn our food is un-American.

I was singling Grassley out as a prime example of the incestuous immorality of ethanol subsidies between DC and the agricultural industry, nothing more or less than that. I don't see a problem with holding him and others accountable for an immorality while they may be simultaneously doing something moral and worthwhile. I'm glad Grassley is pursuing GunRunner. I am also very disgusted with the immorality of politicians and their beneficiaries forcing us to burn corn in our gas tanks while the world market for food skyrockets, food becomes scarce, and children starve. Grassley is a big part of that problem, his other endeavors notwithstanding.

ETA: BTW, "un-American" was not my word, nor my intention. I suggested the policy has immoral and inhumane implications, but not that Charles Grassley is un-American.

[Pandora]

Incidentally, I read yesterday that the ANC is planning to go "Zimbabwe" on South Africa's White farmers before the year is out.

Would this qualify for R2P, ya think?

[charlesoakwood]

Yes, the same Grassley that first introduced the letter about GunRunner.
And same Grassley promoting we burn our food is un-American.

I was singling Grassley out as a prime example of the incestuous immorality of ethanol subsidies between DC and the agricultural industry, nothing more or less than that. I don't see a problem with holding him and others accountable for an immorality while they may be simultaneously doing something moral and worthwhile. I'm glad Grassley is pursuing GunRunner. I am also very disgusted with the immorality of politicians and their beneficiaries forcing us to burn corn in our gas tanks while the world market for food skyrockets, food becomes scarce, and children starve. Grassley is a big part of that problem, his other endeavors notwithstanding.

ETA: BTW, "un-American" was not my word, nor my intention. I suggested the policy has immoral and inhumane implications, but not that Charles Grassley is un-American.

Oh noes! If I formatted incorrectly, my apologies.

Duplicity is my charge and un-American is my word.  Any congressman can carry that GunRunner ball, Grassley carries Iowa and Iowa is pure-de corn.  That's the good-ole-boys system.  The GunRunner letter was no great act on his part, it was part of his re-election cover.  Grassley gets the ball this time.  Drop-kick his but out of the park.

[LadyVirginia]

BTW, anybody else looks at the rest of the pics?  I found them very interesting.  Mexican family luuuvs their cola.

I did.  Seems that the more prepackaged/prepared foods/ beverages the higher the food bill.

[Pandora]

BTW, anybody else looks at the rest of the pics?  I found them very interesting.  Mexican family luuuvs their cola.

I did.  Seems that the more prepackaged/prepared foods/ beverages the higher the food bill.

For whenever those pics were taken, I'd say that was right, but, now, with the way the price of produce has shot up everywhere, I'd guess the prices are pulling about even.

[Glock32]

Incidentally, I read yesterday that the ANC is planning to go "Zimbabwe" on South Africa's White farmers before the year is out.

Would this qualify for R2P, ya think?

Well gee, who didn't see that coming? I guess their transformation to Turd World status wasn't going fast enough. 10-20 years from now it'll be Cargo Cult time in the former-SA.

As an aside, Rhodesia was once known as the Breadbasket of Africa. Now as Zimbabwe, well....

eta - it might qualify as R2P if the 'P' part applied to the ANC

[Libertas]

Scratch Africa!

And scratch these proglodytes silly socialist food schemes!

[rickl]

Libertas:

As an aside, the other day I saw the word spelled "progluddite" and thought of you.  I don't remember where I saw it, but I like that spelling better.

[Damn_Lucky]

If our own Democrats and Republicans would stop using our tax dollars to pay the agricultural industry to divert perfectly good food-crop land to grow corn they then force us to burn in our gas tanks, global food prices and shortages might not be what they are.

There are VERY few issues where I concern myself with how the rest of the world views America, but this is one. I wonder what it looks like when a nation whose people by all current and historical standards have eliminated poverty, burns the product of millions of acres of the world's most fertile farm land in our gas tanks, in order to fuel a lifestyle that no other nation can, paying for it with debt - while 16,000 children per day literally starve to death.

If I was viewing this dynamic from abroad, I believe I would have a very cynical view. And yes, Charles Grassley, I'm talking to you.

Iron I don't knpw where you live but I live in Grassley land.
Did you know that after making all that booze they only loose 10-15% of the meal and the rest goes to feed the cattle around here as Distillers grains.
Remember don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see. Google(I hate that word)Distillers grains 

[Pandora]

"Only" 10-15%?  To what use would that fraction be put if not for the mandate that we burn it in our tanks - now up to
15% volume?

eta:  Further, China's, a net food importer, had weather woes adversely affecting their food crop as well as Mexico - I read that as "rice" - and with Japan in the straits they're in, I expect rice prices to rise more quickly than they have been.

[Glock32]

For ethanol production, corn is not even a particularly efficient feedstock. One of the reasons Brazil was able to be heavy on ethanol is their sugar cane production. Sugar cane has a better yield.

When you factor in the arable land diversion, water usage, fertilizer and pesticide usage (derived from petroleum), and the energy input to maintain and harvest the crop, corn-->ethanol is a fool's game on such a large scale. Hence the subsidies.

Why do the midwest states get to siphon tax dollars from the rest of us for their locally important concerns? Nobody gave a flying f**k about North Carolina's furniture and textile industries, or the effect of draconian anti-smoking paranoia on the tobacco farmers. I guess we just don't have a primary election early enough in the season.

[John Florida]

For ethanol production, corn is not even a particularly efficient feedstock. One of the reasons Brazil was able to be heavy on ethanol is their sugar cane production. Sugar cane has a better yield.

When you factor in the arable land diversion, water usage, fertilizer and pesticide usage (derived from petroleum), and the energy input to maintain and harvest the crop, corn-->ethanol is a fool's game on such a large scale. Hence the subsidies.

Why do the midwest states get to siphon tax dollars from the rest of us for their locally important concerns? Nobody gave a flying f**k about North Carolina's furniture and textile industries, or the effect of draconian anti-smoking paranoia on the tobacco farmers. I guess we just don't have a primary election early enough in the season.

 And Brazil has the luxury of two sugar crops a year,