If one reads the news these days, there is no escaping the panicked stories about the rising cost of staple grains. There is little doubt that the world’s population is getting larger, and hungrier, by the day. One may well wonder what has brought this seemingly cataclysmic condition upon us so quickly. Many different groups are being accused of causing this new crisis, with the average Chinese peasant, Western alternative energy producers and commodities traders in the Philippines standing together in the line-up. I suggest a different cause; one that hits a little closer to home.
In less than two months, global news coverage of the plight of the hungry has gone from non-existent to a full fledged feeding frenzy, no pun intended. Even bio-fuel manufacturing is being senselessly implicated in this terror of the month. Some news reporters, and even news makers, seem to have forgotten that a substantial portion of US corn production is dedicated to producing corn-based sweeteners for non-essential products like Coca-Cola. Much land is also used to grow corn used to feed cattle that are helping to meet the rising demand for diary and beef in rapidly growing Asian markets.
Feeding the world’s hungry is certainly a growing problem. Whoever you blame, the fact remains that the global population is continuing to grow, and it must be fed. This is a new kind of hunger too, with the new concentrations of the under-fed being found in urban areas rather than impoverished rural settings.
When we were in Ethiopia, we were told that the government there had undertaken actions to raise the price of the indigenous staple grain teff by nearly 600% in less than two years. The plan was designed to help impoverished farmers by artificially raising the price of their biggest product. While it accomplished the increase in the price of teff, it has also brought about a predictable rise in farming related goods and services, thus abrogating much of the anticipated windfall for the farmers.
The farmers, many barely more than subsistence grade, have so far weathered the storm. The business of fighting to grow enough to survive is not so susceptible to fickle market forces. In the cities, however, millions of poor are facing an astronomic increase in the cost of food, often the largest portion of their budgets.
In reality, however, the commodities traders, bio-fuel makers and even Coke drinkers are only a small part of the problem. Perhaps the biggest reason food prices are rising is the increasing cost of oil.
Around the world, the urban, jobless poor are finding themselves at the mercy of seemingly unrelated issues half a world away. Unrest in the Niger delta, American foreign policy in the Gulf, frustratingly shrewd production caps by OPEC, huge SUVs on Western highways and pension related strikes in Scotland continue to push the cost of oil into historically high territory. The knock-on effects are felt at every level the world over.
Today we are beginning to see a new kind of hunger. With farming techniques and technology continuing to raise production levels across the industrialized world, the availability of food-stuffs is growing. Shortage of resources is no longer the problem. The cost of transportation, thanks to rising oil prices, and the hoarding of staple goods through commodities trading on futures markets is driving the cost of staple foods higher and higher. Across the world grocery store shelves are full of food. The problem is, no one has the money to buy it. We are entering a new era where global production and allocation of resources and commodities must be more intentional and directed if it is to meet rising demands.
We are entering a period of history unlike any known before. We will soon find ourselves in a world where others suffer not from our inaction or our lack of charity. People will begin to suffer when we fail to use our resources wisely. Compassion for the poor will soon be more closely related to the conscientious use of our resources than many of us ever expected.
We as Americans, and particularly the Christians among us have an opportunity, and, I think, an obligation to help prevent a crisis that may soon affect people we will never meet. If we were to merely engage in the simple, yet frustratingly interdependent, act of carpooling, we could have large effects on the quality of life of those living in the fragile economies of the developing world. As the largest consumer of oil on the planet, Americans have the greatest potential to lower demand for oil by making small changes in our daily lives, thus lowering the price of oil, and by extension, the price of food in developing countries.
The question at hand is not a matter of resource shortages. It is simply that Americans and those in other westernized countries are not economical with their resources because it is not convenient for them to do so. In a purely Darwinian view of life, selfless economization is not a matter of concern. The Haves can do as they wish, and charity is an option.
On this point, the Gospel of Christ differs greatly from the conventional wisdom. From what I have read of the Bible, I am to consider everyone the world over as family. Christians are called, I believe, to act with the interests of others in mind, even when there is no direct benefit to themselves. After all, that is the basic definition of love.
While on earth, Christ called us to and then exemplified compassion; by definition “suffering with” those he encountered. My “suffering” could begin by riding a bike to work, getting up a little earlier to catch a bus or even buying a smaller, more efficient car so that others can eat. To me, that seems a light burden to bear to begin fulfilling the commands of God.
Great observation and analysis bro! Time to ride Bikenstien even more than I do. The simple reality is that we are reaping the consequences of irresponsibility, arrogance, and ignorance that goes back several generations. Now, our generation has to bear the burden of a great number of looming tragedies all across the spectrum of society.
Posted by: Adam | May 01, 2008 at 08:31 PM