Food Crises Hit the Developing World

As more countries dedicate resources to producing crops for biofuels, few have paid attention to the unintended consequences. A food crisis of staggering proportions is looming on the horizon. “U.N. expert: Food crisis ‘a silent tsunami’”, a recent article on CNN, talks about the problem. With more emphasis on foodstuffs for fuel production, prices for grains have gone up around the world.

The New York Times looked at food riots in Haiti in their article “Across Globe, Empty Bellies Bring Rising Anger.”

Many of Coffee Kids’ partners are working to help communities create their own sustainable food options. CAMPO has been promoting organic gardening, crop diversification and beekeeping among the communities they serve for years. Program participants working with ICSUR in Chiapas, Mexico, have been raising mushrooms and chickens. These options help the communities reduce their reliance on outside sources for food and also help create economically diverse communities.

This article in the Christian Science Monitor (“How to Ease the Squeeze on Food Access”), presents a variety of options for solving the food crisis, but some of the best options for countries that have the resources seem to be promoting ‘back to basics,’ locally-based agriculture.