Dear West, please stop using our food as your biofuel.

[yllus]

Stop using food for biofuel, West told

NEW DELHI - India and African nations are calling on the Western world to rethink the diversion of huge amounts of food for biofuel, which has created shortages and driven up prices in poorer countries.

Faced with record-high oil prices, governments in Europe, the United States and Canada are subsidizing the production of ethanol, a gasoline substitute, from corn and other grains.

While the move to turn food into fuel has benefitted a few African nations with grain surpluses, such as Uganda, speakers at the first Africa-India Forum yesterday blamed the tactic for skyrocketing prices and shortages.

Rising food prices threaten many African economies, while in India food price increases are largely responsible for driving inflation to 7%, a three-year high.

"These days the farms have been put to biofuel production, creating a shortage of food and therefore creating a problem of high prices," said Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, the Tanzanian President and head of the African Union.

With shortages and high prices set to continue for the foreseeable future, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned food riots which have struck several impoverished countries in recent weeks could spread.

"The problem is very serious around the world due to severe price rises and we have seen riots in Egypt, Cameroon, Haiti and Burkina Faso," Jacques Diouf, director-general of the FAO, told reporters in New Delhi.

Five people have been killed in a week of demonstrations in Haiti over high food prices in the poorest country in the Americas, while unions in the West African nation of Burkina Faso called a general strike over soaring food and fuel costs.

"There is a risk that this unrest will spread in countries where 50% to 60% of income goes to food," Mr. Diouf said.

Global food prices, based on United Nations records, rose 35% in the year to the end of January, markedly accelerating an upturn that began, gently at first, in 2002.

Since then, prices have risen 65%. In 2007 alone, according to the FAO's world food index, dairy prices rose nearly 80% and grain 42%.

Some interesting facts at the bottom of the article:

- Since April, 2006, eight million hectares of corn, wheat, soya and other crops that once provided animal feed and food have been diverted from food production in the United States to biofuels.

- In 2008, 18% of U.S. grain production will go to biofuels.

- Brazil (the world's largest ethanol producer), Argentina, Canada and Eastern Europe are diverting large amounts of sugar cane, palm oil and soybean crops to biofuels.

- Europe has mandated a 5.75% use of biofuels by 2010. If achieved, this could require 20% of Europe's cropland to be diverted from food to fuel production.

- If Australia were to replace 10% of its unleaded gasoline with bioethanol, and if this were to come from fermentation of wheat, it could require about 40% of the country's annual average wheat crop.

At least we're making a move away from oil, even if it is into a heavily subsidized, world-hunger inducing biofuel.

 

[Genx87]

Yup and wait until we have a failed crop season. 3.20 a gallon for gasoline will look cheap as hell while we cant eat.

 

[apoppin]

they are right and it is a stupid move

use NON-food crops that grow on land not currently used for food
-create a NEW industry - not divert resources away from feeding people
-Using food crops is STUPID - something the Bush Administration *specializes* in - extreme brain-dead stupidity

WE will all be paying higher prices for food, ethanol and the poor people will starve if our genetically-modified sh!t fails - just one major crop fails worldwide and we have another self-created stupid *disaster* that will kill hundreds of millions of people

 

[maddogchen]

There was an interesting article in Time Magazine about biofuels. That more and more land is used for biofuels pushing farmers to cut down the Amazon trees to make more land to grow food and raise cattle. This in turn causes more Global Warming and is more damaging to the environment than us using gas.
Text

side note:
isn't Haiti's food problem because all the food rotted in their ports?
isn't sugar cane a more efficient crop to convert to ethanol which is why its used the majority in Brazil? Why don't we use that then instead of corn?

 

[Foxery]

Originally posted by: maddogchen
isn't sugar cane a more efficient crop to convert to ethanol which is why its used the majority in Brazil? Why don't we use that then instead of corn?

Politics and money, what else... Extracting fuel from corn has been proven to be a fairly poor idea, but we'll keep doing it until someone in power trades in their bribes for real logic.

or,

Let them eat cake!

 

[miketheidiot]

Originally posted by: maddogchen
isn't sugar cane a more efficient crop to convert to ethanol which is why its used the majority in Brazil? Why don't we use that then instead of corn?

because the corn lobby wouldn't like that?

 

[EagleKeeper]

Originally posted by: Foxery

Originally posted by: maddogchen
isn't sugar cane a more efficient crop to convert to ethanol which is why its used the majority in Brazil? Why don't we use that then instead of corn?

Politics and money, what else... Extracting fuel from corn has been proven to be a fairly poor idea, but we'll keep doing it until someone in power trades in their bribes for real logic.

or,

Let them eat cake!

Corn is easier to grow than sugarcane and can be grown in a much larger area than cane can. Cane is limited by climate to a geographic line from from about Savana to Houston.
It also requires a large amount of moisture compared to corn.

 

[rchiu]

I highly doubt the soring food price is caused by biofuel. The price of rice, corn and other agricultural commodities have risen 2/3 hundred percent in the past 2, 3 years, and I don't think biofuel can cause the demand of those commodities to increase that much.

The real problem is with the speculation in commodities. People like Jim Rogers betting on commodities and drive up the prices. Yeap they sure made lots of $$ but at the expense of millions of people who can no longer afford basic life necessities.

 

[ProfJohn]

So in order to save the world from global warming we are going to starve people to death??

Brilliant.

 

[Robor]

Originally posted by: ProfJohn
So in order to save the world from global warming we are going to starve people to death??

Brilliant.

maddogchen provided info above that says biofuels like this actually harm the environment.

 

[ProfJohn]

^ I noticed that, but I believe the whole biofuel thing is being pushed as a way to stop global warming because they burn cleaner.

 

[NeoV]

anyone in the US pushing corn as a viable biofuel input should be fired from their job

switchgrass is very similar to sugarcane in terms of how convertable it is into biofuel

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: NeoV
anyone in the US pushing corn as a viable biofuel input should be fired from their job

switchgrass is very similar to sugarcane in terms of how convertable it is into biofuel

i was thinking 'execution' .. but your idea is probably more practical
:Q

[]

Best of all these grasses grow where most food crops cannot - so we are not taking land out of production nor will we waste much water nor fertilizer producing them - and best of all - it is not subject to the disadvantages of genetically modified crops - held hostage by Mega-Corporation's "terrorism"

Hemp is another excellent alternative to produce food, fuel, fiber, medicine and oil from the seeds ..
. . the "Tree for the Healing of the Nations" .. one of the Original Bio-Gifts to Mankind along with corn, wheat, rice and the other Major Crops.

 

[Jaskalas]

Originally posted by: yllus
Stop using food for biofuel, West told
[...]
At least we're making a move away from oil, even if it is into a heavily subsidized, world-hunger inducing biofuel.

All in the name of MMGW? Religious fanatics do some pretty stupid things, this is one of them. The world's population continues to grow and unless we start having WW3 to curb it we're going to skyrocket the price of food with decreased supply and increased demand coming together.

For Americans that price is even worse due to our falling dollar.

 

[1prophet]

Here is the solution.

 

[desy]

The price of food is going up because of cost of energy effects production inputs and transportation more than ethanol

 

[StageLeft]

We live in a world in which many have a lack of food and yet access to global markets. The end result is that when food demand is up (corn) by rich nations, the others will lose it. This ethanol biofuel kick is a fvcking debacle if there ever was one. Food concerns aside, the carbon use from oil put into my gas tank is even less than that used by biofuel once we consider harvesting, fertilizers, etc. It's absolutely misguided.

 

[1EZduzit]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: NeoV
anyone in the US pushing corn as a viable biofuel input should be fired from their job

switchgrass is very similar to sugarcane in terms of how convertable it is into biofuel

i was thinking 'execution' .. but your idea is probably more practical
:Q

[]

Best of all these grasses grow where most food crops cannot - so we are not taking land out of production nor will we waste much water nor fertilizer producing them - and best of all - it is not subject to the disadvantages of genetically modified crops - held hostage by Mega-Corporation's "terrorism"

Hemp is another excellent alternative to produce food, fuel, fiber, medicine and oil from the seeds ..
. . the "Tree for the Healing of the Nations" .. one of the Original Bio-Gifts to Mankind along with corn, wheat, rice and the other Major Crops.

sighhh... I get tired of pointing this out, but feel compelled to do it one more time. If we're going to make biofuel then we need to produce the stock and it doesn't just come out of thin air, it come out of the ground.

There is very little land not being used for production. Grass land is used for hay and pasture for cattle (meat and dairy) and sheep. If you want to eat meat then what are we going to do for livestock pasture/hay?

The same thing applies to growing sugarcane. We could increase our acres, but that would take other crops out of production (corn and cotton would be my guess).

Switchgrass research looks promising but switchgrass is a hard grass to get established and it would take land out of production currently being used to grow other crops such as wheat and corn. Once done it might produce more ethanol per acre. It also wouldn't need to be reseeded every year.

The problem I see with switchgrass is that it is not as versatile of a crop whereas corn can be used for human consumption, livestock feed, or exported out of the country. No part of the corn kernal goes to waste in the maaking of ethanol and the cornstalk goes back into the ground increasing the soil tilth.

What it boils down to is why should a farmer plant switchgrass unless he knows he has a profitable market for it? If the people in 3rd world countries are starving how is that the farmers fault anymore then yours? Maybe you should stop driving a tank, or quit jetting around the country, or even grow a garden in your backyard. Maybe all of the above?

 

[1EZduzit]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
We live in a world in which many have a lack of food and yet access to global markets. The end result is that when food demand is up (corn) by rich nations, the others will lose it. This ethanol biofuel kick is a fvcking debacle if there ever was one. Food concerns aside, the carbon use from oil put into my gas tank is even less than that used by biofuel once we consider harvesting, fertilizers, etc. It's absolutely misguided.

Oh BS. Your so full of it they should make biofuel out of you.

 

[Kadarin]

Dear West, please stop using our food as your biofuel.

"Our food"? Who actually owns it?

 

[CanOWorms]

Originally posted by: yllus

- In 2008, 18% of U.S. grain production will go to biofuels.

I imagine that a lot of that is genetically modified and thus not suitable to export to third-world countries because of European fears of science.

 

[yllus]

Originally posted by: Kadarin

Dear West, please stop using our food as your biofuel.

"Our food"? Who actually owns it?

Me. And dem Asians best stop tokin' me jobs, too. :|

Lighten up, Francis. It was a joke. They really did ask that we send money, though.

 

[1prophet]

Originally posted by: CanOWorms

Originally posted by: yllus

- In 2008, 18% of U.S. grain production will go to biofuels.

I imagine that a lot of that is genetically modified and thus not suitable to export to third-world countries because of European fears of science.

More likely patent protection, you can be sued for for not following cotractual obligations like storing seed for the next crop.

Biotechnology companies and seed distributors that market GMO seeds to farmers usually require that farmers sign grower or technology agreements. These agreements generally give the farmer rights to use the GMO seeds in exchange for complying with all of the company's production methods and management requirements. The contract may require the farmer to allow company representatives access to fields to inspect crops and determine if the farmer is in compliance with the contract.

The companies are generally seeking to secure a number of protections for themselves through the agreements. These agreements may include provisions designed to ensure that farmers follow specific guidelines directing where and how the GMO seed will be planted, to stop farmers from saving seed from the crop that is produced from the purchased seed, to protect the company's intellectual property rights, and to ensure that disputes arising under the contracts are resolved either through binding arbitration or in a court convenient to the company.

In addition to altering farmers' year-to-year production practices, contract provisions that protect the companies' intellectual property rights in the GMOs and prohibit farmers from saving seed to plant in the following year may also open farmers to liability for breach of contract. Monsanto, a chemical company based in St. Louis, Missouri, has recently brought complaints against farmers for allegedly saving seed in violation of either a technology agreement or Monsanto's intellectual property rights.

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: maddogchen
There was an interesting article in Time Magazine about biofuels. That more and more land is used for biofuels pushing farmers to cut down the Amazon trees to make more land to grow food and raise cattle. This in turn causes more Global Warming and is more damaging to the environment than us using gas.
Text

side note:
isn't Haiti's food problem because all the food rotted in their ports?
isn't sugar cane a more efficient crop to convert to ethanol which is why its used the majority in Brazil? Why don't we use that then instead of corn?

Side notes: Yeah, Haiti's famine was mostly from distribution problems. A large amount of famines are not caused by a lack of food, but the inability to get it to the people who need it.

We use corn instead of sugar because we can grow a lot more corn in the US then we can sugar cane. Also see: corn farmer's lobby.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Aren't we supposed to stop meddling in other countries? Sending them food and money merely serves to make them dependent. Clearly we should stop.