Monday, November 03, 2008 Oledan: Looming peril By Radzini Oledan
IT IS not merely a warning. Analysts and economists have warned of a global tragedy as world leaders struggle to halt the crisis spreading across the global financial markets. The question is whether its magnitude will surpass the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Black October of 1987, or the Asian Economic Collapse in the 90's.
The difference between then and now is the availability and affordability of food. Today, food is in shorter supply and prices have been steadily climbing, not to mention the steady erosion of agriculture which could have provided the mitigating measure to enable nations to cope with the crisis.
Since 2001, prices of food have steadily climbed and escalated dramatically since 2006. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), food prices rose by 9 percent in 2006, 24 percent in 2007, and surged 51 percent in the past 12 months.
Average prices in the market are still higher than normal. Finances remain volatile with most of us wary to spend our hard earned money on non-essential needs. This situation spells hardship for most of the working people.
For food prices to come down, food supplies will have to increase. To do this, an investment on agriculture is essential but the lure of quick cash from growing crops has reduced the amount of land devoted to growing food, reducing the efficiency in food production and distribution.
Ensuring food security is deeply linked to the productivity of the land, which is slowly diminishing. Cultivable lands are under a process of degradation and lands available for agriculture are decreasing due to the expansion of housing, establishment of industries, and the rise in other non-agricultural use of lands.
By official account, agricultural lands were some 8.1 million hectares in 1988. It dwindled down to 7.0 million hectares in 2003 and further to 6.7 million hectares in 2007. It does not help that rice farmers continue to be saddled with problems such as high production costs, low rice prices, inadequate irrigation and other facilities, and inaccessible credit.
Agriculture has become a perennial dilemma with policies and responses that threaten the survival of millions of small farmers and consumers. The role of food security in wider events should not be underestimated. Food shortages and runaway food price inflation have a history of leading to social unrest and political upheaval. In fact, our ability to meet the Millennium Development Goals will be ever more doubtful.
On June 2008, more than $11 billion was pledged at the Rome Food Security Summit by representatives coming from 181 nations including more than 40 heads of state. The money is to be used for immediate food aid for those who need it, and for investing in and revitalizing the agricultural sector to boost crop production.
Despite this global effort, much of the work would rely on our home front. We are reaping the consequence of short changing the agricultural sector. The tools for their achievement spell the availability of the food on our table. They are not only the backbone of our nation; they can be our only hope in this global crisis. Email comments to roledan@gmail.com.
