The Global Food Crisis

[Alan Bolte]

only ever going to go up in value

Is that the sound of a bubble, I hear? I think perhaps when you read something like that in a publication like the WSJ, it's time to sell. Not that I'm an investor, it's just my gut feeling on the subject. Anyway, prices will go down (not to prior levels, perhaps, but down from peak) when hoarding hits storage limits, or people in sufficient numbers start buying less expensive food. Or when starvation kills enough people. Hard to say what'll happen first.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Every single Costco in 100 miles of Seattle, WA, is sold out of rice as of today--I know, I asked them, while there, at a Costco which was out of rice.

They also refuse to say when they will get more in--they are afraid of causing food riots, the manager I demanded to talk to frankly told me.

I was visiting someone to fix their computer, and they bought 25lbs of rice for me in 2 x 10lb an 1 x 5lb bags at a local Safeway as a gift in recompense for the work done when I explained what I'd heard to them--those were the last two ten pound bags there.

They told me to come back Monday at Costco--I will probably try tomorrow morning in suspection it was a lie (over the fear of riots), and then, if there's none Sunday, come in again on tuesday morning. Since Amy and I go through a 50lb sack in about six months, and we have another roommate moving in with us at the end of the summer, I'm tentatively looking at planning to get 4 sacks the next time they have them available at Costco--that will see us through until the end of summer of next year, the usual Asian sticky rice. I'll also get a 30lb sack of Basmati, since I like it in particular for some special foods, which will max out the current quota they have for rice purchases of 5 bags. That will give us 255lbs of rice, which is a healthy level to be at right now, as I expect the price of food to continue skyrocketing--when I mentioned that to the manager at the Costco, he just nodded grimly--throughout the year.

No, folks, this isn't just hitting the third world. It's moving impossibly fast. Maybe the guy was talking out of his ass, but simply to hear the prospect of food riots mentioned to me as the reason for not saying when they'd get more rice in at a Costco, by a manager, in the United States, is chilling me to the bone, so it's now my absolute number one priority to stock up on as many nonperishables as possible posthaste.

[Shroom Man 777]

I thought Americans didn't eat rice...

[MKSheppard]

So um. A growing shortage of a food item that is notoriously inefficient to cultivate and raise, both in labor and in water?

Perhaps this will wean Asia off it's stupid as fuck "Look, lets have a billion farmers in rice paddies" crap; and get to planting good honest food crops.

For 1 kg oven dry wheat grain, it takes 715 – 750 litres of water
For 1 kg maize, 540 – 630 litres
For 1 kg paddy rice, 1,550 litres

Yeah; let's all get up in arms over a food crop that requires 2.4 times as much water as Good, Honest, American Corn to grow.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

So um. A growing shortage of a food item that is notoriously inefficient to cultivate and raise, both in labor and in water?

Perhaps this will wean Asia off it's stupid as fuck "Look, lets have a billion farmers in rice paddies" crap; and get to planting good honest food crops.

For 1 kg oven dry wheat grain, it takes 715 – 750 litres of water
For 1 kg maize, 540 – 630 litres
For 1 kg paddy rice, 1,550 litres

Yeah; let's all get up in arms over a food crop that requires 2.4 times as much water as Good, Honest, American Corn to grow.

Demand for rice is up because all the corn is being used to fuel cars!

[MKSheppard]

Demand for rice is up because all the corn is being used to fuel cars!

Yet, there are no runs on that great american staple called Frosted Flakes...

[KlavoHunter]

I thought Americans didn't eat rice...

It's terribly easy to transport and store, and it has excellent food value.




In light of Marina's statements, I offer my own advice -

Purchase other dried foods as well, primarily dried beans - There's a reason that beans made up the diet of soldiers before the day of the MRE - they're cheap, they keep a long time, and they are extremely nutritious.

[KlavoHunter]

So um. A growing shortage of a food item that is notoriously inefficient to cultivate and raise, both in labor and in water?

Perhaps this will wean Asia off it's stupid as fuck "Look, lets have a billion farmers in rice paddies" crap; and get to planting good honest food crops.

For 1 kg oven dry wheat grain, it takes 715 – 750 litres of water
For 1 kg maize, 540 – 630 litres
For 1 kg paddy rice, 1,550 litres

Yeah; let's all get up in arms over a food crop that requires 2.4 times as much water as Good, Honest, American Corn to grow.

Frankly, Shep, right now isn't the time to worry about how inefficient it is for rice to be grown - it's time to start worrying about if you'll have food to eat 3 months down the road. And a 60-pound sack of rice is a very nice bit of insurance for that.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Demand for rice is up because all the corn is being used to fuel cars!

Yet, there are no runs on that great american staple called Frosted Flakes...

I happen to like being slim and attractive, thank you. A Frosted Flakes diet is not conductive to that.

And wait; by the end of the year, the USA will probably have Soviet-style bread lines.

[KlavoHunter]

And wait; by the end of the year, the USA will probably have Soviet-style bread lines.

[Zablorg]

Demand for rice is up because all the corn is being used to fuel cars!

Holy hell, I didn't know the bio-fuel industry was that... influential!

What a fucking waste. On cars of all things.

[Mange]

So um. A growing shortage of a food item that is notoriously inefficient to cultivate and raise, both in labor and in water?

Perhaps this will wean Asia off it's stupid as fuck "Look, lets have a billion farmers in rice paddies" crap; and get to planting good honest food crops.

For 1 kg oven dry wheat grain, it takes 715 – 750 litres of water
For 1 kg maize, 540 – 630 litres
For 1 kg paddy rice, 1,550 litres

Yeah; let's all get up in arms over a food crop that requires 2.4 times as much water as Good, Honest, American Corn to grow.

Demand for rice is up because all the corn is being used to fuel cars!

Yes, and that is so stupid. While the intent is noble, I can't abide that foodstuffs is turned into fuel and that arable land is wasted on fuel production (and that tropical rain forests are being sacrificed for that purpose as well).

[TheMuffinKing]

I thought Americans didn't eat rice...

To be fair the area around Seattle/Tacoma has one of the highest percentages of asian immigrants in the country. I don't want that to be interpreted in some racist sentiment, but many people are there directly from their homelands and have brought many rice heavy recipes with them. I'm sure that that is only a minor contribution to the shortage and only in the local area however and that there are plenty of other factors involved. Maybe there is a huge black market shipping rice from costco back to Asia?

I just hope that by the time I get back to WA. I'll be able to get a sizeable portion of sticky rice with my chicken teryaki!

[The Yosemite Bear]

not to mention there's a lot here in Californication. Though the rice paddies do double/triple duty here. most are also fish farms, or being used by ducks and other water fowl.

I say triple duty, as some of the combination fish/rice farms loose a lot of fish to avian predation.

[Admiral Valdemar]

The IEA is warning against the retreating option with respect to bio-fuels. If we get rid of their input, then I dread to think what will happen to the oil market.

[K. A. Pital]

If we get rid of their input, then I dread to think what will happen to the oil market.

If you don't, you might dread to think what will happen to the food market.

[J]

Yet, there are no runs on that great american staple called Frosted Flakes...

If Ug99 breaks free in Asia there will be, and god help us all if the spores make their way to North America before we complete a changeover to resistant varieties of wheat.

[Chris OFarrell]

Want to hear fucked up? AUSTRALIA is one of the largest exporters of Rice in the world (in terms of rice exports vs rice consumed internally). There isn't really that much domestic consumption (~15% a few years back) but we export a whole heap of the stuff. mostly to supplement countries which DO grow rice internally and have shortfalls.

AUSTRALIA.

The country in the middle of the longest drought in history!

Seriously, I saw these places a few years back. The snowy river, Murry rivers and so on that are having too much water sucked out of them, a lot of it is because a fuckload of the water goes into RICE FARMING, rather then something sane like more conventional crops that don't use fuckloads of water.

And finally the drought is really catching up to Australia Rice exports, as well as the Government, who are finally getting some balls and cutting water off from these people. There is still relativly limited domestic demand, but exports are WAY the hell down for us as a result of the water being turned off.
Frankly I think we should get out of the game all together and go for far more water efficient crops, unless you are growing the rice RIGHT at the top of Australia, in the tropic zones where the drought isn't a problem, but the conditions are not suited to grow 'staple' crops.

[Master of Ossus]

Frankly, Shep, right now isn't the time to worry about how inefficient it is for rice to be grown - it's time to start worrying about if you'll have food to eat 3 months down the road. And a 60-pound sack of rice is a very nice bit of insurance for that.

Shep lives in a First-world country. There will be food for him three months from now. Moreover, this run on rice is retarded, since only certain kinds of rice were even in shortage. Three months from now, in the US, the price of Cal Rose will be back to normal just because all of the Chicken Littles will have bought enough koku to satisfy even their insatiable lust for panic.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Frankly, Shep, right now isn't the time to worry about how inefficient it is for rice to be grown - it's time to start worrying about if you'll have food to eat 3 months down the road. And a 60-pound sack of rice is a very nice bit of insurance for that.

:roll:

Shep lives in a First-world country. There will be food for him three months from now. Moreover, this run on rice is retarded, since only certain kinds of rice were even in shortage. Three months from now, in the US, the price of Cal Rose will be back to normal just because all of the Chicken Littles will have bought enough koku to satisfy even their insatiable lust for panic.

Because first-world countries magically produce enough rice? I'm sure the Norwegians and Icelanders will be surprised to hear that First-world = guaranteed rice consumption. Oh wait, the free market is magic, isn't it, Ossus?

For the record, our bag of Cal Rose was almost empty--that's why I was going to get rice, you dumbass.

[TheMuffinKing]

Frankly, Shep, right now isn't the time to worry about how inefficient it is for rice to be grown - it's time to start worrying about if you'll have food to eat 3 months down the road. And a 60-pound sack of rice is a very nice bit of insurance for that.

Shep lives in a First-world country. There will be food for him three months from now. Moreover, this run on rice is retarded, since only certain kinds of rice were even in shortage. Three months from now, in the US, the price of Cal Rose will be back to normal just because all of the Chicken Littles will have bought enough koku to satisfy even their insatiable lust for panic.

Because first-world countries magically produce enough rice? I'm sure the Norwegians and Icelanders will be surprised to hear that First-world = guaranteed rice consumption. Oh wait, the free market is magic, isn't it, Ossus?

For the record, our bag of Cal Rose was almost empty--that's why I was going to get rice, you dumbass.

Wouldn't first world rice production switch over to supplying local demand over that of export, increasing the availability of said rice to the local markets? Basically I'm curious if America can produce enough rice for America.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Wouldn't first world rice production switch over to supplying local demand over that of export, increasing the availability of said rice to the local markets? Basically I'm curious if America can produce enough rice for America.

Oh yes, we definitely can. We need to ban the export of food, really. The only problem is that we at least need special agreements with the oil-producing nations to provide them food in exchange for continued oil shipments. But it's definitely time to institute an Autarkist economic policy with full internal dirigisme to deal with these multiplying problems.

[Eulogy]

Demand for rice is up because all the corn is being used to fuel cars!

Wouldn't kudzu be a better biodiesel crop anyway?

[Lonestar]

Wouldn't kudzu be a better biodiesel crop anyway?

Only from a methanol standpoint. Cellouse ethanol hasn't been cracked yet, I believe.

[Gil Hamilton]

Only from a methanol standpoint. Cellouse ethanol hasn't been cracked yet, I believe.

You can do it, but we haven't yet got it on an industrial scale. Once we do that, we can have ethanol running out the ears with kudzu.

Kudzu has alot of advantages that corn doesn't have:
-The part of the plant you turn into fuel isn't the same part of the plant you can eat. It wouldn't be that difficult to harvest the leaves and shoots, which can be prepared virtually the same way as spinache, and then send the inedible part to the processing plant to be turned into ethanol or to any number of the new bioplastics they are developing*.
-The stuff is actually good for the soil, since it draws from much deeper down in the earth. Its roots have symbotic microorganisms that actually nitrate the topsoil the plant grows on. So if you were growing it for harvest, you can rotate it out of a plot of land and have excellent soil for growing something else.
-It's very easy to grow. In fact, it's harder to keep it contained than it is to grow it in places like the American South. This is why half the South is covered in the damn stuff.
-You can use every part of the plant except, uh, the oink. Every part of the kudzu plant can be made good for something. Even the roots have been used for eastern medicine for thousands of years.

The problem is processing the cellulose.

*At school, a polymer chemist gave a talk recently on how, well, oil is running out and that right now, the wave of the future is turning starch and other available, renewable bioproducts into plastics. Right now, quite a few companies who have interest in plastics are putting ALOT of megabucks into it and are in the process of starting up the infrastructure for mass production of turning organic waste into plastics. The science works and the plastics are good, for example, John Deere is starting to make tractor panels of one variety of the stuff, but its a matter of getting the process off the ground industrially. In the next ten years, I'm willing to be that a significant portion of the plastics used in the country will be reprocessed waste, either biowaste or recycled plastic. So jokes in the Enterprise threads about Tucker's Shit Boots may come true by 2020!