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Increasing population along with deforestation and poor farming practices in third world countries are now being exacerbated by the effects of climate change. Food scarcity is currently accounting for a food crisis in 36 countries and the United Nations World Food Programme is calling it “the biggest crisis looming for the world.”

While bio-fuels sounds as a good solution and governments can collect renewed political currency from local farmers, this new competition between food and fuel has severe consequences for the less fortunate. In stark contrast to the needy are the greedy who are being empowered by the raw forces of the free market. Globally food prices have sky rocketed 83 percent over the past 36 months hitting the estimated more than 1 billion people living below the poverty line hardest.

The world’s poor already spend between 50 – 80 percent of their $1 – 2 a day income on food, but with the explosion in prices of corn, wheat, and rice food riots are breaking out across the globe from Bangladesh to Uzbekistan. While hunger breaks out into desperation in the third world, first world corporate earnings are soaring to record heights.

Monsanto has nearly doubled its profits from US $1.44 to $2.22 in the first quarter of 2008. In the same timeframe, Cargill’s net earnings has soared 86 percent and the world’s largest processor of corn, wheat, and soy, Archer Daniels Midland, has seen its profits go up by 42 percent.

These huge profits have been earned from the same increase in food prices that have taken out food supplies from the aid programmes struggling to feed the poor. Without an increase in aid, the surge in prices and profits, directly translate into less food for the hungry and this price spike comes on top of higher fuel prices that make the cut into the budget of relief agencies even deeper.

Here in the rich part of the world where profits equals success, some of us might have noticed the greed of the oil companies translating into higher costs of driving our cars. While inconvenient, leaving the car at home and taking the bus doesn’t kill you. However, for the hungry and desperate people of the world, this food crisis is a matter of life and death.

‘Business as usual’ will kill if we don’t act now:

- Write your minister or local representative and ask him/her to bring up this issue in government

- E-mail your local corporate CEO and demand an explanation

- Spread the word at your school or workplace

- Organise events to put pressure on the greedy multinationals

- Be creative and Act Now!

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