World News
Canadian church report blames biofuel, agribusiness for food crisis
Published: July 16, 2008
OTTAWA (CNS) -- The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace has released a booklet examining the roots of the food crisis. "Food System in Crisis: Hunger and the Pursuit of Profit," calls for a return of decision-making power to the people who grow and consume food. The report says although the world produces enough food to feed everyone, food prices have risen 83 percent in the past three years. The price of rice has tripled. "Food System in Crisis" also predicts 100 million hungry people will soon join the 860 million worldwide who do not have enough to eat. The report cites practices -- such as the use of hybrid seeds and the growth of agribusiness that depends on fossil-fuel fertilizers -- that have undermined traditional agricultural practices. The report also claims that as food production gets concentrated in the hands of transnational businesses, peasant farmers are being forced off the land and shareholders' concerns are trumping local needs. The booklet can be downloaded from Development and Peace's Web site, www.devp.org.
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