With More Food Than Ever,Why Is Hunger Rising

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Virtualization is a powerful tool for improving the real world. When we translate material things, from genes to jet planes, into numbers, we can analyze and manipulate them far more easily. But two recent reports suggest that virtualization can also have disastrous real-word consequences, especially when it comes to food.

Fred Kaufman begins his new book Bet the Farm: How Food Stopped Being Food by identifying a troubling paradox of modern food production. In 2008, “farmers produced more grain than ever, enough to feed twice as many people as were on Earth. In the same year, for the first time in history, a billion people went hungry.” How could we produce more food and more hunger? The answer, Kaufman writes, is that food became virtualized, or in this case “financialized.” Instead of using data systems to find sensible ways to distribute real food, we have increasingly used them to trade virtual food as a speculative object, much like the complicated financial products that helped pump up the housing bubble. The result: Prices skyrocket, real food sits uselessly, people starve.

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-01/more-food-ever-why-hunger-rise

[TheLastLazyGun]

Why Is Hunger Rising

It isn't. It's falling.

[Ealdwita]

It isn't. It's falling.

The perception of rising hunger levels is (in the UK at least), reinforced by a constant stream of Aid Charities commercials on TV because donations are drying up. Here in the West, we no longer have the disposable income to support Foreign Aid from our own pockets and are incensed by our Governments pouring huge amounts of our taxes into the ever-gaping maw that is sub-Saharan Africa! Especially when it's obvious that only a very tiny amount of that money is reaching those that need it. The majority of it seems to be earmarked for the purchase of palaces and big limos for their leaders and weapons for their soldiers!

It seems that although these 'starving millions' don't have a bowl of millet gruel between them, they each have a nice, shiny AK-47 and a hundred rounds of ammo!

It's perhaps worth remembering that however non-PC the thought may be, that Zimbabwe used to be known as the 'bread-basket of Africa' until Mugabe replaced the white settlers with his own favourites! Incidentally, Zimbabwe's Finance Minister Tendai Biti announced only yesterday, "Last week when we paid civil servants there was $217 in government coffers". Say no more!!! I predict Davey-boy Cameron will be digging deeper into our pockets for more hand-outs!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/zimbabwe/9836132/Zimbabwe-has-just-138-left-in-the-bank-finance-minister-says.html

[Babe Ruth]

Isn't the world population growing? Would that suggest that there is less food for each mouth, ESPECIALLY when the United States is turning food into alcohol for cars?

[Ashotep]

There are people doing without enough food to eat and it doesn't have anything to do with the US turning food into fuel for cars. If the price gets too cheap farmers won't plant it.

In some places its there but they don't have to money to buy it and in other places because it isn't available. If charities do send it in it often ends up in the wrong hands especially if there is a civil war going on. I think many more people are doing without clean water to drink.

[Babe Ruth]

I'm pretty sure the corn prices are effected by federal statutes regarding corn for ethanol production. I think corn has always been subsidized in some manner, but after the ethanol mandate that subsidy became greater. Some news stories last summer talked about it. With reduced production because of drought, corn diverted to ethanol production reduced the amount available for food and subsequently raised prices.

[AsteroidX]

Give a man a fish he eats for a day. Teach that same men to fish and he will eat for a lifetime. Giving people food without teaching them to grow or helping convert there land into usable farmland is tantamount to creating dependency. The ones building wells and teaching farming and helping in that area globally are truly making a difference.

Edited January 31, 2013 by AsteroidX

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It isn't. It's falling.

Fred Kaufman begins his new book Bet the Farm: How Food Stopped Being Food by identifying a troubling paradox of modern food production. In 2008, “farmers produced more grain than ever, enough to feed twice as many people as were on Earth. In the same year, for the first time in history, a billion people went hungry.”

Rising Food Prices Intensify Poverty, Hunger In U.S. And World http://www.huffingto...r_n_837664.html

Homelessness and hunger on the rise in San Diego, California http://www.wsws.org/...8/sdca-j18.html

Hunger On The Rise In South Sudan, Report Shows http://www.wfp.org/s...an-report-shows

Hunger on the rise in Spain http://warincontext....-rise-in-spain/

Hunger on the rise in Ohio, relief group says http://www.cleveland...se_in_ohio.html

Hunger and homelessness rise in U.S. cities: report http://www.reuters.c...E8BJ14I20121220

Spain Recoils as Its Hungry Forage Trash Bins for a Next Meal http://www.nytimes.c...wanted=all&_r=0

Conundrum: fewer people are hungry, but hunger on the rise http://m.theglobeand...?service=mobile

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The good news

Global hunger numbers are not skyrocketing.

The bad news

World hunger is back on the rise.

Rome-based FAO said the figures for 2010 do not include the millions of hungry people in three "emergency" areas: Pakistan; Haiti and the Sahel in Africa.

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Isn't the world population growing? Would that suggest that there is less food for each mouth, ESPECIALLY when the United States is turning food into alcohol for cars?

No, world population is declining and overpopulation is a myth ... the world "overpopulation" in itself is void since no one can measure how many ppl the earth can carry so there is no reason to say there are too many.

It's a fallacy in itself.

About That Overpopulation Problem

Research suggests we may actually face a declining world population in the coming years.

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2013/01/world_population_may_actually_start_declining_not_exploding.html

[Babe Ruth]

Yes, how many is too many is difficult to define.

In times of severe drought, it might become a bit more easy, eh?