Cheap food, like cheap oil, may be a thing of the past By PAUL KRUGMAN

apr 13th, 2008

agriculture is the absolute key to long-term survival.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ven

It makes a lot of sense to go back to villages and start growing our own food now.

 

Grains Gone Wild

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/07/opinion/07krugman.html

 

By PAUL KRUGMAN, Op-Ed Columnist

Published: April 7, 2008

These days you hear a lot about the world financial crisis. But there's another world crisis under way — and it's hurting a lot more people.

I'm talking about the food crisis. Over the past few years the prices of wheat, corn, rice and other basic foodstuffs have doubled or tripled, with much of the increase taking place just in the last few months. High food prices dismay even relatively well-off Americans — but they're truly devastating in poor countries, where food often accounts for more than half a family's spending.

There have already been food riots around the world. Food-supplying countries, from Ukraine to Argentina, have been limiting exports in an attempt to protect domestic consumers, leading to angry protests from farmers — and making things even worse in countries that need to import food.

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