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Thousands of union workers demonstrated in Johannesburg, South Africa, on April 17, in part to protest skyrocketing food prices. The recent food riots in Haiti led to the overthrow of that troubled island state’s prime minister, Jacques-Edouard Alexis. These are just the latest in an emerging global trend of unrest sparked by high food prices –- specifically, the price of grains. And it is the grain issue that could have the most far-reaching implications.
Wheat, corn, soybeans, rice and the like are the essential foodstuff — not just for humans, but for most livestock, especially in more developed agricultural sectors. Meat, dairy and vegetables are perishable, and the markets can usually deal with the rise and fall in their supply without anyone going hungry — but only so long as grain remains readily available. And that is not the case.
Several factors are converging that contribute to the lower level of grain supplies:
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