[MrBill]

dorlomin wrote:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'M')any of the third world producers also do not have a level playing field on which to compete. They have faced many years of having surplus stocks of subsidised western foods dumped on them, which cuts profit for reinvestment, now cannot access the most lucerative markets due to trade barriers or recieve the production subsidies to create profit to reinvest.

[jdmartin]

The thought occurred to me today. With oil at $103 and counting, it's creating a lot of pain in the US. It's also stimulating a huge (albeit subsidized) switch to biofuel crops. Further, Chinese/Indian growth is eating up greater levels of grains. The price of most all foodstuffs now is through the roof.

Of course, a lot of the Middle East grows nothing of substance, certainly nothing that would support the levels of population growth they've experience since oil struck it rich.

So is high food prices a kind of way to have money flowing in reverse back out of oil countries in the Middle East? Kind of a "oh yeah, take that!" back at 'em?

[anarky321]

hard to say without seeing the numbers for each country

their oil revenue could very well be going up faster than their importing costs

[Revi]

Saudi Arabia just quit growing wheat, so I don't think that they are too concerned with the cost of food. Food is not a huge part of their budget, and we keep making the price of oil go up, so they are probably making more money that they can use to buy wheat. As Lester Brown says, when you import wheat you are importing water, because it takes so much to grow it.

http://xrdarabia.org/2008/02/24/saudis- ... t-growing/

[Utopia]

Well, it's good to see article where people are talking about this, but skip the stocks, you cannot eat them, just buy food.

Though food depletion and peak oil is mentioned in the same article, I'm very surprised.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/In ... fFood.aspx

[Ainan]

Peak oil and peak food on msn? The end is really nigh. Anyone who can buy stores of non-perishable food should do so now. We live in a golden age where a weeks wages can buy a years worth of food which can be preserved for several years.

[dinopello]

The article asks

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'C')ould we really run out of food?

[steam_cannon]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ainan', 'P')eak oil and peak food on msn? The end is really nigh.

[billp]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'P')eak oil overthrows green revolution

[timmac]

I just heard on the public radio station that China might stop exporting fertilizers because supplys are running low and cost is way up and they need it all for there farmers,, heard that Europe is there biggest buyer and they will be in a big hurt if they stop selling to them,, it also went on to say that crop production with out fertilizers can drop 1/3 yield,, This just cant happen this fast all of a sudden,, Whats Happening,, Did we peak a couple years ago or what...

[bodigami]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dinopello', '(')...) the stone age didn't end because we ran out of stones. and so the human race will not end due to lack of food. It will end because.. oh, wait... that doesn't work

[hironegro]

I think this has to do more with consequences neo-liberal globalism than peak oil at the moment.

[grabby]

I just wanted to come back, a year after I told everyone that ethanol and biofuels would send the world into starvation mode and cause famines. I was told I was incorrect then. I just want to come back and say
Told you so.

And Mr. Palm oil biofuel man isn't here anymore I see.

Now I just want to say
NAFTA will destroy the economy.

If we are still here next year I will try and say told you so.

see you.

[Tyler_JC]

Huh?

NAFTA has been around for well over a decade and has been pretty successful.

Why will the effects of NAFTA suddenly cause economic hardship in the United States, Canada or Mexico?

[gnm]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', 'W')hy will the effects of NAFTA suddenly cause economic hardship in the United States, Canada or Mexico?

[mlit]

The only reason NAFTA didn't cause as much damage earlier is that bubbles propped up other areas of the economy. Bubbles that saw wages drop for a lot of us while bubble surfers got rich.

Those bubbles are gone now.

[FoxV]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('grabby', 'I') just wanted to come back, a year after I told everyone that ethanol and biofuels would send the world into starvation mode and cause famines. I was told I was incorrect then. I just want to come back and say
Told you so.

[cube]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('grabby', '
')And Mr. Palm oil biofuel man isn't here anymore I see.

[Tyler_JC]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gnm', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', 'W')hy will the effects of NAFTA suddenly cause economic hardship in the United States, Canada or Mexico?

[Tanada]

I actually found myself pondering a question I could not find an answer for the other day. If you take a handy chunk of California desert not too far inland from the Pacific and plant 1000 acre's of oil palms on it how much sea water would you have to desalinate to keep them properly watered? How much energy would it take to desalinate and move that much water to the plantation? Migfht be worth it if it means they will stop cutting down all the tropical rain forests to plant oil palms!