Food crisis fears

With ever greater numbers of people in large, emerging economies such as China and India, moving to live in fast-growing cities, recent years have seen huge shifts in lifestyle. Global demand is growing for foods such as meat and dairy products, which take more space and energy to produce. At the same time, natural disasters and extreme weather have stretched food supplies to their limits. Environment speaks to a trade and agriculture expert from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) to discuss similarities and differences with 2008.

Some communities are struggling to cope with years of poor harvests, and spiralling debts. We highlight the deep despair in one part of northern India, where large numbers of farmers have resorted to taking their own lives because of the intolerable pressure. After recent years struggling after poor yields because of drought, this winter’s rice harvest was destroyed because of exceptionally heavy rainfall and flooding, with tragic human consequences.

Environment also looks at one novel way of getting round soaring wheat prices – bakers in Senegal in west Africa have begun replacing regular flour with ground niebe beans. For them, this is an ideal solution; niebe flour is rich in protein, cheap and locally-produced.

You can watch the full version of our interview with the OECD Trade and Agriculture specialist, Carmel Cahill, below. Mrs Cahill spoke to Environment about the range of factors and pressures affecting global food prices, including biofuels, population growth, climate change and financial speculation. 

Interview with Carmel Cahill (OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate)