Why food prices increase and what can be done
2008
Mendoza, T.C., Philippines Univ. Los Baños, College, Laguna (Philippines). Crop Science Cluster
Humankind is once again in a kind, which is the inescapable challenge of producing sufficient food for the continually increasing population under an increasingly difficult production environment-including global warming/global climate change, the continuing oil-based agriculture in an era of diminishing supply (the end of cheap oil), which in turn has propelled biofuel production. Plus, the increasing of fluency of fast-growing economics leading to the consumption of more oil energy and more food, particularly, meat or animal products, has altogether increased the demand for food. This is aggravated further by the decreasing capacity of the agro-ecosystem to meet the current production requirements, which has precipitated a phenomenal increase in world food prices claimed to be the prime mover of world economic growth, the current trend regime of globalization has brought about interconnected adverse effect not only on the environment but also on energy use(by increased food miles) and food insecurity especially in the poorer countries. Heavily subsidized agricultural products of developed countries exported to developing countries, like the Philippines, have made them more vulnerable to the volatile food prices in the world market. It has exposed the hollowness of the economic view. 'Why produce? It is cheaper to import!' The author argue that the food crisis is real. What can be done? The positive thinkers will simply claim, 'If there is a problem, there is a solution!' It is grossly unintelligent for the youth to just simply accept that nothing can be done. Specifically for the Philippines, in this paper, options for sustainable food security, both at the production and consumption sides, are presented.
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