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The Global Food Crisis
April 16, 2008
Asha:
What do you think about this global food crisis?
Ayinde:
The conventional explanations for the flare in prices are population growth, diversion of corn and soybeans to biofuel production, rising Asian and Middle Eastern demand for high-value foods, higher transport costs and crop failures. Oddly, little has been said about the role of speculation in the rise in commodity prices generally and specifically in food. See: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/16/opinion/edpfaff.php
What most of those analyses are missing is the role slavery and colonialism played in poorer nations not being able to adequately develop their agriculture sector and them consequently relying heavily on foreign imports. Further, the IMF and World Bank demanded that poorer nations remove or reduce tariff protections for their agricultural products in order to secure loans while the US and Europe subsidized their agriculture, eventually flooding poorer nations with their cheaper products. IMF and World Bank policies destroyed essential aspects of the agricultural secture in many poorer nations. The structure for this current food crisis has been in the making for a long time.
Also, many nations have not addressed the issue of colonial land theft where Whites were given the best lands and indigenous people were herded on the worst land in their own countries. As a result, many indigenous people do not have adequate land to grow their own food.
Asha:
So we are now reaping the fruits of colonialism!
Ayinde:
Much of the land best suited for agriculture in poorer nations is owned by Whites who inherited it from their colonial ancestors to grow luxury items for richer nations instead of securing food for the common people.
Also, following slavery, many Africans moved away from agriculture instead of rediscovering agriculture as a means of security and prosperity.
Some prime agriculture land is also being used for housing.
Asha:
And those who wanted to stay in agriculture were discouraged.
Ayinde:
Yes, and Indians who traditionally stayed with agriculture, after being 'educated' are moving away from it. These are just some of the points they are not getting, and if they do not get this, they are not going to arrive at a long-term solution.
It should never have been the case that the US made a poor decision and it affected the global food supply. That only shows how mindless most governments are - and powerless too, even with what is being done with the land in their own countries.
Asha:
Yes, and the miseducation continues. On the Bizzare Foods programme last night, younger 'educated' Chinese people who traditionally grew food are leaving the farms. An older farmer said that after he dies, no one else would be there to farm.
Ayinde:
Correct. The idea of being educated and making it is to move away from agriculture which is still seen and experienced in poorer nations as 'poor people jobs.'
Asha:
Yes.
Ayinde:
But this is quite different for rich folks, mostly Whites, who use much land and technology to grow crops.
Also, farmers' reliance on some US corporations for seeds to grow crops means a further cost in growing food down the road; Genetically Modified crops have damaged agriculture in smaller nations.
Asha:
Yes.
Ayinde:
All of this is lacking in the dialogue out there so they are not attempting to change attitudes, just attempting a quick fix. Of course, there is no quick fix this time.
Asha:
Do you know that US farmers are moving their farms to Mexico to grow food for the US? So the US is continuing to take control of more land for their benefit.
Ayinde:
Unless people are prepared to discuss racism, especially in relation to the attitudes poor/indigenous people have of themselves, they are not going to get a meaningful, creative input from a lot of people. The trend to follow the European/US economic models as signs of making it will continue.
Asha:
Yes.
Ayinde:
It means that when these Western powers go wrong everyone else has to pay too.
Asha:
So you always have to pay: pay when you do wrong and pay when everyone else goes wrong too.
Ayinde:
Well, we pay because many are following blindly.
Asha:
Yes.
Ayinde:
Even countries that appear to have different cultural views show how fickle their cultural bond is. The people in India and China still want the US/European trappings and looks as signs of success. All people have been affected by racism.
Asha:
Exactly.
Ayinde:
It is all of this that I am looking at that is lacking from the debates and without getting to these issues, they are not reaching solutions.
Asha:
They can't, they are not dealing with Race and History.
Ayinde:
And that is the problem.
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