Food vs. Fuels Debate Continues

by Andrea Millar — April 30, 2008

In a report by the United Nations Environmental Program-funded International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), researchers insist that biofuels must be quickly stuck on the backburner for the sake of the rising food crisis. The report also points out that food is cheaper than it was 40 years ago, even as the number of those suffering from hunger grows by four million every year. Countries across the world face destabilization through hunger riots as prices overall shoot up in spite of the progress made in the bulk food industry.

However, one number that has been difficult to track in all this is the actual acreage reserved for new fuels research. Maybe I haven't been watching my cnn (.com) enough lately, but how much food real estate was really displaced by biofuels? When we live in a country where farmers are commonly paid to occasionally burn perfectly good crops, it would be great to see some actual displacement figures before tossing in the towel.

Although a reallocation of resources away from the biofuels industry and towards the production of food may have a positive effect, it still seems that the hunger issue remains not one of net resources but of distribution. Moreover, some of these problems of distribution can be solved by managing the issue of fuel effectively. Biofuel production may underline present-day food shortage issues, but it's short sighted indeed to say that world hunger originates with it. Richer countries have been tossing out too much food while poorer countries flounder for far too long. Consider the idea that alternative fuel sources, far from inhibiting proper distribution in this arena, could be the only thing to solve it effectively? If distribution is the major block, biofuels may be instrumental in removing it. There have to be more creative solutions to the food crisis than simply hedging our bets with fossil fuels--that doesn't work either, remember?

Incidentally, the report also details the environmental impact of current food production, problematizing not just the volume but the pollution and depletion of soil represented by current practices. Instead, the study advocates targeting productivity as an equal part with soil protection and biodiversity. To that I would add decreasing dependence on imported foods and an assessment of fuel needs in agriculture to find the real culprits behind food price increases. Rather than just targeting biofuels, hopefully we'll see a complete overhaul of food management systems worldwide.