Politics Is The Primary Cause Of Hunger

[Maine farmer]

Food production is a topic very near and dear to my heart. I've been involved in farming my entire life and have witnessed firsthand the progression of technology, and an increase in efficience that I believe is unprecedented and unparalelled. At the same time, I have witnessed the decline of farming in my home state. In some areas former hayfields are now suburban houselots, and in others farmland has been fallow for so long it is now growing shrubs. We produce more food on less land than previously thought possible, and hunger persists. We can't solve world hunger simply by producing more food and bankrupting more farmers.

[joekgamer]

This is often the process:

 

 

Farmers make food

 

New way to make food makes farming more efficeint

 

Farmers make lots of food

 

More food = lower prices

 

Not enough people to buy all the food, even at the lower prices

 

Farmers cannot make enough money

 

Farmers go bankrupt

 

 

This is true even on a global scale. The food doesn't get to the hungry because:

1. They don't have enough money

2. They cannnot get to a market

 

And so they remain hungry.

[Maine farmer]

There is one major reason you forgot about as to why food does not get to the hungry, and that is political instability. Many of the countries hit hardest by hunger are ones in a near constant state of war. We from the developed countries rush food all over the globe, and it is often merely confiscated by the military or local warlords.

 

Of course, even in a developed country such as America, we still have hunger. Here our food prices are high for reasons beyond logical reasons. The notion that we have a free market system is a myth. To have a working free market, competition is essential, and there is little competition today as there are only a couple of companies that control our entire food infrastructure. In the case of milk, one company, Dean Foods, controls a majority of the milk in the entire country. (I'm not sure of the exact percentage, but I seem to recall reading some time ago that it was over 75%) Also, in the case of milk, minimum prices are set by the government, and there being no real competition in the market place, the minimum price always becomes the maximum price paid to producers. Within the formula for determining minimum prices is a "make allowance" for the processor, deducted from the farm price. Of course, the government has subsidies to pay to farmers so enough can stay in business to protect processor and retailer profits. In Maine, we even have a milk commission that sets prices, including a profit margin for processors and retailers, but it is a minimum margin and higher profits are allowed. There is no "make allowance" paid to the farmers. Direct sale of milk from farmer to consumer is stringently regulated in Maine, and prohibited in many states

 

 

We also have the futures markets, where the prices of commodities are subject to wide swings based solely on speculation from Wall Street. The people making the most money from food are people who never touch any product.