Food Fight

As a corn grower, cattle feeder and resident from a state where Oil and gas is key, I think this hit all the right keys. I was upset to see how high food prices were linked to the cost of ethanol. Granted, there is a correlation with prices in oil, gas, and food products. I wish the program described how little effect growing food prices truly affect the American Farmer. Ultimately the U.S. farmer produces 20% of the American food supply from an industry that contributes less than 2% of the U.S. Population - a great program would be about how U.S. Farmers are making it in the tough economic and financial times - and what the new generation is doing about it to keep their family farms, heritage and way of life intact.

It's me again - I really enjoyed the show, but I think the focus on American Ag was left in the dust. I think a good Vanguard piece would be to focus on American agriculture and the new and innovative the next generation is working to keep their family farms afloat. There is so much work out there that is outshadowed by high "traditional" commodities like corn and wheat - on our farm we have expanded to grapes and wine - I really would like to see much more stories on U.S. Agriculture and its story as well.

It's difficult to be comprehensive on such a vast topic, but you did an excellent job presenting the local and international aspects of the food crisis. It's not us in the US that will suffer, but those in poverty may be pushed over the edge. I hope governments will change their policies to produce enough food to feed the world.

Great pod..or uh.. pods. 
I had no idea Brazil was import free, that seems like a pretty good place for a country to be in. But I am a little suspect of the gentleman who was saying how horrible growing ethanol was with fertilizers and pollution from the farm equipment. Is the byproduct of pollution from growing and producing ethanol greater then people driving cars powered by oil? I would be surprised if it is but honestly I don’t know. It reminds me of the talk about the EV1 where the cars were electric but the plants used to make the power were coal and still put out pollution. And in that case the pollution was still less than having cars on gas.
With ethanol putting out CO2 and water(unless I am incorrect) what I would really like to see in a vehicle is an electric/ethanol hybrid.
Sometimes when I see pods like this I get a sense of dread. Like the world is just screwed and there is no hope. The latter half almost portrays this food situation impending doom or mass starvation and social unrest. It makes me thankful for having what I have and being in the.. for lack of a better term… social class I am in. I find it really hard to see a pod like this and then watch a pod on art or entertainment; I usually have to turn the TV off and go do something I feel is productive.
All that being said I really enjoyed it and thanks again to Vanguard for making the gears in my head turn.

PS. How many people got intoxicated in the making of this pod? :p

very good pod vanguard always makes really informative videos.

Good pod that gives a good world view of this issue. I would like to see one linking this food crisis to GM seeds/herbicides and what they are doing to push up food prices to make profits for mutinationals pushing to introduce them in more developing countries.The suicides of Indian farmers in relation to BTcotton is also related to this topic and should be explored. Agribusiness/biotech companies are bringing more debt to small farmers in developing countries because of their policies regarding GM seeds and not being able to replant them but having to rebuy seeds every year when they are living in poverty already. I don't think you can do a pod on the food crisis and not include the economic impact of GM seeds as part of it and the environmental affects of them that have caused crop failure in places like India that is experiencing drought now.

wow, the end pod was so intense...eating clay? That's so sad. Basically those people are eating flavored mud? No one, let alone a whole country, should have to live like that!

This is a very important report. It is interesting that in places like Costa Rica they have the concept of ¨la canasta basica¨ or when food stuffs that are of primer concern for the basic needs are ¨subsidized¨ by the goverment that set of prices on things like milk, rice, beans, cooking oil and other staples so that everyone can afford them.
I have been hearing much talk about the rising costs of corn prices on the international market from demand for ethanol from corn. One of the side effect has been felt in Mexico by the rising cost of tortillas and other products that are made from cornmeal that form one of the primary food staples of the countries most humble.

The Financial Times has well-documented that the main reason for the rise in food prices is not increased consumption around the world but financial investors speculating and betting on commodities, like rice.

I live in california where i know a very large farming family. The business has always farmed corn and had six thousand workers at one time. That time would be before ethinol became huge. Its a simple economic equation for the family. Cut labor cost because ethinol doesn't need 6,000 workers, so their down to a little less than 300 now. Theres the first economic down side to ethinol, less jobs. Um that corn then of course goes to gas and not mouths, so corn here and around the world has risen in price. Theres another downside. One upside is that that family now has more money and time on their hands. Hey there good people, but they are going for the economic upside for themselves, which is fine. Its just that food should not be gas. It sould feed people, because there are plenty of hungry people in this world.

oh ya and it sucks to that people have to choose eating over school. Well I mean I would too, but im just saying public education and the ability to go to hire education in this country and other developed countries is truely a magnificent thing. I don't take my oppurtunities for granted and I don't stress about almost everything because there are at least 4billion other people that have a much harder life than me. I give them so much respect.