Hunger and its cousin malnutrition are working together to bring the globe into an untenable situation. Food riots in Bangladesh, Egypt and Haiti have occurred, cost of food in the United States is skyrocketing and the situation grows worse daily. At a news conference on April 14, World Bank President Robert Zoelick came out with this assessment: “We have to put our money where our mouths are so that we can put food into hungry mouths.”

The price of the staple rice crop has risen by as much as 70 percent since the last annual report, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), with increases accelerating recently.

The U.S. is far from exempt from this catastrophe as food banks, soup kitchens, and other food distributor organizations reported an estimated 20 percent increase since April of last year.

Additionally, in the last year, the U.S. has seen the number of citizens enrolled in food stamp programs grow by 1.3 million, the highest one-year increase ever.

A recent report on CNN informed us that the average price of a loaf of bread has increased 32 percent In the last year alone, the average price of a carton of eggs has increased almost 50 percent. Currently the wheat storage supply for the nation is at a 60 -year low.

The worst food price inflation in nearly 20 years has many Americans giving up restaurant meals to eat at home. We are buying fewer luxury food items, eating more leftovers and purchasing more store brands instead of name-brand items. As it grows worse we will be challenged to find sustenance that does not cost an arm and a leg.

Causes are various, yet the ethanol pitch has come under scrutiny lately as this corn- and wheat- hoarding for fuel has increased the cost of all foods. Irregular weather (e.g. droughts), rising fuel cost, diet changes such as increases in meat consumption in Asia, and booming populations have added to the food inflation. Secondary protein is also a cause as it takes 8.3 grams of corn to produce one gram of beef, so that many more could be fed if primary protein sources were preferred. High petroleum prices, a low-value dollar and tighter supplies have all added to this looming problem.

International cooperation is needed to stave off this crisis. The U.N., in conjunction with the International Monetary Fund has asked for an emergency fund of $500 million, less than a week’s cost of the Iraq war. The Bush administration, to its credit, has taken the first step, pledging funds of up to $200 million from a food reserve known as the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust.

America should act with others in the international community to increase agricultural output in developing societies so that these states can become self-sufficient. Working hand-in-glove with Western nations, we must reduce subsidies and tariffs so that, once produced, developing countries can sell their goods both domestically and on the international market.

International food aid programs should also be reformed so that funds are given directly into the hands of farmers and producers, rather than Western shippers, suppliers and corporations. Lastly, the world should move to the new generation of biofuels on semi-arable land that are not as dependent on corn and do not directly compete with food crops.

American farmers have been paid to leave certain fields un-sown and subsidies have been in place to keep the market price high enough for our farmers to stay in business, This practice must cease and all agricultural land made available for food production.

The $286 billion farm bill, which recently been passed both the House and Senate, gives Congress a legislative chance to assist in solving the domestic and international food crisis. Providing more than just a safety net to America’s agricultural system, the new farm bill grants the critical funding to our nation’s poverty, nutrition, land conservation, energy, and international trade programs.

A final compromise on this controversial measure, however, has not yet been reached by a conference committee of the two houses. Congress drags its feet as the world suffers, and we all pay for procrastination. The farm bill as it currently reads is a lost opportunity to remove oppressive subsidies that could have a positive impact on this crisis, both domestically and abroad.

Robert W. Barker, a sociologist and researcher, lives in Eureka.