Friday, May 09, 2008

ODI on food crisis

From ODI blog post on May 8:
"...Even though stocks are low and supplies have been hit by drought, the world has enough food. The Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates a cereal harvest of more than 2 billion tons during the coming year. That is certainly enough to feed the world. Getting it to those who need it is another matter. But reassurance on supply could discourage hoarding, head off further restrictions to trade, and calm markets.

The second priority is to make sure that immediate humanitarian needs are met. The World Food Programme estimates the additional cost of food and transport at more than $755 million this year alone. The UK, the US, Canada and the EU are among those who have committed to fill this gap ...
..............
Good information about production, stocks and trade will help to keep food moving around the world. More radical steps, such as a one-year moratorium on the use of maize for biofuel, could cut prices by more than 20% at a stroke. But all the external players need to back country plans and not charge in with their own projects, their own brands and their own flags.

Finally, the UN agencies need to look beyond the immediate crisis and lay out plans for the long-term investment in agriculture. The Green Revolution transformed food production from the 1960s onwards, but the world became complacent. The rate of growth of yields fell. In an era of apparent surpluses and falling food prices, it was easy to neglect investments in research, irrigation, infrastructure and market institutions. No longer."

3 comments:

Unknown said...

India especially needs to find short and long term solutions in order to avoid a devastating effect on their economy and people.

Read more at

http://blog.giveindia.org/2008/05/malnutrition-quietly-destroying-future.html

Unknown said...

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Unknown said...

With our economy facing a lot of problems, and one of these problems is the economic crisis. This affects America and Europe. This is the effect of the sub prime crisis, the collapse of the banks and stocks plummeting. Careless mortgage lending has created an economic crisis in America. But did you know that America is not the only nation struggling with the current economic situation? The International Herald Tribune reveals that the worldwide credit crunch is impacting Europe, as well. Small business owners, like Dominique Boudier of Paris, count on credit from their suppliers in order to function, but creditors are cutting their offerings in half. The suppliers’ credit insurance companies have ordered this reduction. Taking into consideration the 60-day lag time in which clients pay, Boudier’s business needs more cash flow to offset this major shortfall. Boudier fears the worst because her bank’s hands are tied, too; her bank, like many in Europe, put their money to sleep with the European Central Bank (ECB) instead of investing it in other banks and the rest of the economy. Bank failure led to the disruption of liquidity, and in turn, credit began to dry up. The ECB, like America’s Federal Reserve Bank, uses a system based on its ability to generate as much fiat money as needed. Fiat-money currency, which is basically credit money, loses its worth when the government refuses to guarantee its value. Inflation rates are on the rise. Many people think that responsible, private banking systems will solve this problem. Until the problem is resolved, payday advance loans will be accessible for consumers that need short-term financial help right now. They can’t wait on a faltering central banking system.
Post Courtesy of Personal Money Store
Professional Blogging Team
Feed Back: 1-866-641-3406
Home: http://personalmoneystore.com/NoFaxPaydayLoans.html
Blog: http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/