Amy Goodman: The Hidden Battle to Control the World's Food Supply

[marmar]

from Democracy Now!, via AlterNet:



The Hidden Battle to Control the World's Food Supply

By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!. Posted April 19, 2008.

Food riots are breaking out across the planet. We must re-examine corporate control of the food supply.




The rise in global food prices has sparked a number of protests in recent weeks, highlighting the worsening epidemic of global hunger. The World Bank estimates world food prices have risen 80 percent over the last three years and that at least thirty-three countries face social unrest as a result. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned the growing global food crisis has reached emergency proportions.

In recent weeks, food riots have also erupted in Haiti, Niger, Senegal, Cameroon and Burkina Faso. Protests have also flared in Morocco, Mauritania, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Mexico and Yemen. In most of West Africa, the price of food has risen by 50 percent -- in Sierra Leone, 300 percent. The World Food Program has issued a rare $500 million emergency appeal to deal with the growing crisis.

Several causes factor into the global food price hike, many linked to human activity. These include human-driven climate change, the soaring cost of oil and a Western-led focus on biofuels that critics say turns food into fuel.

Raj Patel is a writer, activist and former policy analyst with Food First, which is based in the Bay Area. He has worked for the World Bank, World Trade Organization, the United Nations, and he's also protested them on four continents. He has just come out with a new book called Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System. He recently joined me in San Francisco to talk about the book and the food-price crisis.

Raj Patel: There are two kinds of stories that we can tell about the food prices. One is an economic story, and that's a story about a perfect storm of poor harvests and a demand for meat in developing countries, which is diverting grain, and the high price of oil, which is driving up food -- farm inputs, and at the same time, the biofuels boom, the process of growing fuels in order -- sorry, growing food in order to burn it rather than eat it. All of these are economic factors that are driving up the price of food. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/story/82632/

[NashVegas]

1. We Hate Communism But We Love USSR-Style Specialization

Adam Smith wrote about it 200 years ago but it took the Soviets to perfect the system of forced economies, via state control, over who produces what. It's great for maximizing profits, but if there is a weak link in the chain it can bring the whole system down.

In a global economy there is no other way to achieve the desired effect than by controlling and managing the output of nations.

[gem4obama]

2. Ok putting on my Tin Foil Hat here...

Look at the places where food is being witheld. It is the poorest of nations on the planet. I have always believed that those powers that be has always engaged in some form of population control. Is this not yet another example? Ok taking my tin foil hat off now. I'll write more after I listen to Amy's report.

[seafan]

3. Global food prices sparking riots? Jeb Bush: 'Ethanol prod'n won't threaten world food supplies.'

But Jeb asserts that ethanol production won't threaten food supplies and claims tariffs to be slashed..., April 22, 2007


Jeb Bush



Another reason to banish this family from our government for all time.



The Hidden Battle to Control the World's Food Supply, April 19, 2008

By Amy Goodman
Democracy Now!

.....

In recent weeks, food riots have also erupted in Haiti, Niger, Senegal, Cameroon and Burkina Faso. Protests have also flared in Morocco, Mauritania, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Mexico and Yemen. In most of West Africa, the price of food has risen by 50 percent -- in Sierra Leone, 300 percent. The World Food Program has issued a rare $500 million emergency appeal to deal with the growing crisis.

Several causes factor into the global food price hike, many linked to human activity. These include human-driven climate change, the soaring cost of oil and a Western-led focus on biofuels that critics say turns food into fuel.

.....

[JitterbugPerfume]

4. once again

Amy Goodman is the "go to person" for the plain unvarnished truth .

Democracy NOW!!