Wednesday, September 24, 2008

10 references

Basu, P. (2008) National Geographic News. In Global Food Crisis: India Keeps Homegrown Rice to Feed Its Hungry Millions. Retrieved from
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/07/080715-india-food.html

Eyewitness: My fight against hunger. (2008). Retrieved August 28, 2008, from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4661942.stm
Food price rise 'global crisis,' says U.N. chief. (2008). Retrieved August 18, 2008, from http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/04/25/food.global.ap/index.html
Goodspeed, P. (2008) Nationalpost. In news: Food crisis being felt around world. Retrieved from August 19, 2008 from http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=412984
Marshal, L. (2008).
National Geographic News. Retrieved September 22, 2008, from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/07/080707-safrica-food.html

Marks, K. (2008). nzherald.co.nz. In business story: Australia faces food crisis as rivers reach new low. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10521045

Minto, J. (2008)
John Minto’s Blog. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from http://johnminto.org.nz/there-is-no-shortage-of-food-the-problem-is-the-price/
Secret report: biofuel caused food crisis. (2008). Retrieved August 28, 2008, from http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/03/biofuels.renewableenergy
U.N. chief: $20B a year to end food crisis. (2008). Retrieved August 18, 2008, from http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/06/04/food.summit/index.html
Zumbrun, J. (2008). Travel. In MSN: The world's most expensive food. Retrieved August 18, 2008, from http://travel.msn.co.nz/article.aspx?id=594299

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Summary

In this world, no matter who you are, we all need food to keep ours lives basically. Not only human beings but also animals need food. However, since 2006, a serious food issue has risen in the world called "food crisis"

There are more and more people are suffering from this. Unite Nation chief, Ben Ki-moon, said that UN has big concern of high food price. UN and World Food Program have decided to fund extra $ 755 million for reliving such urgent situation.

What is the reason for such high food price in recent years? Plant fuel is the reason of this. There are three main methods that make disorder food market price. Firstly, grain, like corn is used to produce ethanol, and vegetable oils are used for biodiesel. Secondly, farmers have been encouraged to grow the biofuel production. Lastly, more and more people know the huge benefit from grains, it also makes prices increased.

There is one more significant reason for food crisis which is climate changed. For example, Australia, the second biggest exporter of wheat after USA, now has experienced the drought since six or seven years ago. The most serious drought has forced about ten thousand farming families off the land, and threatened the economic capability of some agricultural citys.

The food crisis have gravely affected all over the world. Egypt is the major rice manufacturing country which exports rice to Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. Since the rapid increase rice price by nearly 30% in one day, Egypt government decided to limit the amount of rice export to those regular customer countries in terms of overcoming sufficient domestic demand. The same situation also happens in India that they keep their homegrown rice to feed their 350million malnourished population.

Although food aid has increased to support poor countries, but the long term solution is to encourage developing countries to produce food to feed them. In South Africa, government is encouraging people start farming again. It can not only control the food price but also sort the problem of food shortage.
Food crisis issue has serious affected our daily life. Although most people in New Zealand can still able to afford such high food price, but in the outside of New Zealand, things is not that simple. Do not waste food probably is what we can do in this stage.

Topic: Food crisis

Hi all,
I chose “Food crisis" as my discussion topic. And I am trying to write about this issue.
Won’t be too long… ^_^