http://www.articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/05/08/beware-food-crisis-getting-worse

“Millions of people across the world are facing hunger and starvation due to the current food crisis. According to experts, the crisis will continue as long as those who dominate the international grain markets remain unwilling to change their behavior.”
The increase in the use of biofuels will further increase food prices.
“Biofuels are taking food out of the mouths of starving people and diverting them to be burned as fuel in the car engines of the world’s rich consumers.”
“In the year 2007, wheat prices rose 77 percent and rice 16 percent. These were some of the sharpest price hikes ever. But this year the speed of change has accelerated even further. Since January 2008, the price of rice has soared just over 140 percent.”
Various factors contributing to the food crisis include:
-Improved financial situation of people in China and India which has increased the demand for western-style diets
-Export quotas by large grain producers
-Trade imbalances among nations
-Population growth
-Global warming
-Unsustainable use of land and water
-Rising oil prices
Economics Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Sen, in speaking about the 1943-1945 Bengal famine in which 6-7 million people perished when the price of rice doubled, said that famine was not caused by a food deficit, but rather by the callous politics in the area at the time.
There are frequent references to the need for “higher yield crops,” rather than the development of sustainable agriculture.
“Monsanto’s genetically altered seeds tripled their first-quarter earnings, from $90 million to 256 million, according to BusinessWeek in January 2008.” “GM crops are bound to do more harm than good, both to the biodiversity of the planet and your individual health, through the unchecked introduction of foreign genetic material and hardier pests.”