Food Crisis Part II

Al Jazeera is one of the few media outlets talking about the impact of the US drought on the rest of the world. The 2008 price spike brought down governments in the Middle East, and sparked uprisings in Africa and Latin America.  With so much of the corn crop decimated, there's really no telling what to expect over the next 18 months. Oh, and when you look at the list of the the top three food-secure nations? Notice Canada doesn't make it. The Harper government may well pay for years of neglecting a national food strategy.


THE IMPACT OF THE US DROUGHT:

• About 60 per cent of continental US is experiencing drought conditions
• The US is the world's largest corn producer, and provides up to 60 per cent of the world's food aid
• The price of corn has increased by 34 per cent in the last month
• The US government says nearly 40 per cent of the corn crop is in poor condition
• Most US farmers have crop insurance in case of losses

FOOD SECURE NATIONS:

• The US is ranked as the most food-secure nation in the world, with an average of 14 per cent of household expenditure being spent on food. Second is Denmark, followed by Norway
• The most food-secure nations benefit from ample resources, high incomes and subsidies for farmers
• The least food-secure nations are in sub-Saharan Africa, with the DR Congo scoring most poorly with 70 per cent of household income there spent on food despite the country's huge agricultural potential
• Chad and Burundi suffer from similar circumstances