"Silent Tsunami"

The International Food Crisis, called a "Silent Tsunami" by the UN World Food Programme because it will affect over 100 million people and will require an internationally coordinated response, is our topic for this week.

With the shift to production of biofuels in the US and EU, certain staple foods and cooking oils have gone up in price. Areas around the world had difficult food production years and experts wonder if this change is linked to Climate Change. Structural Adjustment Programs and other development strategies have left many poorer nations food-vulnerable. The price of crude oil is skyrocketing. All these factors and more are causing food shortages and making it difficult for the world's poor to have access to nutritious and enough food.

The Military in Egypt were ordered to bake bread for the poor. In Haiti, where people have been protesting and rioting in the streets, mud patties with sugar and flour are sustaining the poor. In China, export limits have been set on rice. In India, limits on exports of powdered milk have been set.

Why is the international food crisis hitting the world now? What can be done on a global scale to address the crisis? What is being done? How will Climate Change affect the future of our food system? How will this affect us in the U.S.? How can we support and build a sustainable local food system?

Visit our Talking Points for more information and weblinks on this vital topic.