According to the Stockholm International Water Institute, more than one-third of all food is either lost or wasted. The Economist magazine points out that Americans trash 40 percent of the food they buy. On the other hand, in India, 40 percent of food rots before it reaches the consumer. So the situation is this: one-seventh of humanity can't get its hands on food, and yet the world's two biggest democracies get away with wasting nearly half of what they have.
Watch the video for Fareed's take on the growing danger of a global food crisis. Fareed Zakaria GPS airs on Sundays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET.
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Overall it does not add up to more than 12.5%. That much shoud be sustained by any goverment reserves. The rest would only be speculations on the world food market. Say I will not buy any food of exxagerated value. They can STUFF IT
A global food crisis is highly unlikely. It's a world of ironies and contradictions. Look at the high number of obese people the world over and the profits all the multinational food manufacturers earn. It's all about unequal and ineffective distribution of food supply.
Do you think that these "obese" people will be able to afford the food needed to keep up their girth when prices skyrocket?
If we have 10 Countries each same populations like China and India, we'll be done. With 10 Billions .
Currently, India and China are doing good job.
Imagine governing Billion people/Country.
I continue to read with interest the thesis presented on CNN that "less is more" in a political context as applied to India. Although Mies Van Der Rohe adopted this in an architectural context, its economic and political connotations are indeed powerful. Empowering subjugated minorities in India by splitting it into smaller states would trigger uber economic demand for western nations who have given so much financial and technology aid to India with no return to show for the investment.
Technology will be our best friend when it comes to global food shortages. Obviously, more people need to be made aware of the seriousness of the matter to reduce waste, but awareness and good practice will not be good enough in the long run. As global population and demand for resources rise, so will the shortage of food worldwide. Food engineering and innovation will be key in combating starvation. Also, there's a big problem with mismanagement of supplies as we've seen many times in the past when we had disasters such as the Tahiti earthquake.
Indians need to start eating cows/beef so that the food can be eaten instantaneously and not wasted. A no brainer.
Eating meat wastes food. It takes many pounds of corn, or some other agricultural product, or equivalent field space that could be dedicated to agriculture, to produce just 1 pound of beef.
I'm not a vegetarian, but claiming that eating meat could increase food available is simply delusional. I try to limit my meat consumption for this reason.
Exactly ! Have some beef every day will keep the hunger and doctor away.
Not beef but apple.
INDIA: On a Goat and a Stick:
The problem with India is that is built on a system of cultural and societal values based on Hinduism which is a cult. Nations built on a cult seldom survive in the long run. You can only take it so far based on symbolisms of a goat and a stick with a skinny little man aka gandhi banging boys at night and spinning wheels during daytime.
India and Hinduism survived many millennia.
Extrapolation should be considered a logical fallacy, Fareed.
Even so, the point is a good one. We waste too much food. We eat too much meat (agriculture is more efficient), and there are starving people around the globe that need food.
We have two options, waste less, or produce more. We need to use both of those options.
The GOP solution: Turn all the Old, Sick, Poor, Non-white, Non-christian, Unemployed, and Gay people into Soylent Green to feed the military.
Feed the Indians beef. Plenty of it around. Better than starving the poverty stricken people.
It takes many pounds of agricultural products to produce one pound of meat. Ranching is extremely inefficient. Even if the cows graze, you could have grown rice in those fields.
We have invested a lot of resources in India over the past two decades and given a lot of aid to prop it up. There has been no investment on this return. Instead India has squandered all the resources in building nuclear weapons while poverty remains rampant in the country. We need to revisit our relationship with India. American taxpayers will not tolerate this anymore. We need to take care of our own populace going forward. We cannot be exporting jobs to India or giving it financial or technical handouts.It has become too big to govern or create any value for western countries or even for its own population. India needs to be carved up into smaller independent states to be a viable economically and geo politically.
About this video. I didnt watch the video, nor do I know anyone who has seen it. Nobody is talking about it. They are only talking about the protests, as if the protesters think we have all uploaded it for constant stream. It is not like news shows are rolling it every 10min. Give us a break man and give yourselves a break. I dont want to see that disgusting video, nor did I want to see the beheading videos. Stop this extreme behavior. We are stuck in this together.
In India people are dying of hunger. Why are these low caste Hindus prohibited from eating beef? In India cow meat is cheaper than other available meats. Instead of these Brahmins taking care of the low caste peoples of India they are doing their best to save their “holy” cows. According to Valmith’s Ramayana, God Rama “ATE” meat. Why then have these Brahmins given up beef-eating? Come on guys, feed the low caste in India with some beef !!!
basic ecology, 90% of energy is lost every time you go up the food chain. Raising cattle for food production would decrease, not increase, India's available food supply. India needs farmers, not ranchers.
Algea and insects actually gives the most immediate solution. Low in collesterole and high in protein. But just look at the case of using a bit of insect shell as colouring in a strawberry icecream?
In Roman times the most prestegious cloak was purple. The puple colour cam from thousands of special seashells than harvested from Isreal coasts.
I could not disagree with you more. You are looking at India's problems through the wrong prism. First, comparison to USA trends is fallacious. India is no USA.... in any respect. For India to maintain its current rate of poverty needs a breakeven GDP of 20%. India will never get there !! Agreed? Therefore, India is lagging behind about -15%GDP !!!! We will never be able to alleviate poverty in India...EVER !!! We will never be able to feed India ... NEVER !!!
Ok, if you think eating beef will solve a food crisis, you don't understand basic physics. Raising cattle wastes food resources. Every time you go up a level of the food chain, 90% of the energy is lost. For every pound of meat you raise from birth to slaughter, several pounds of agricultural products are either fed to the cow or could have been grown instead of the grass of the grazing pasture.
I eat meat. I'm not vegetarian. But, meat is terribly inefficient use of food resources.
What are you suggesting? Feeding the India hindus cow dung patties instead?
I'm suggesting that investing in ranching in India would decrease, not increase, their food supply.
We have invested a lot of resources in India over the past two decades and given a lot of aid to prop it up. There has been no investment on this return. Instead India has squandered all the resources in building nuclear weapons while poverty remains rampant in the country. We need to revisit our relationship with India. American taxpayers will not tolerate this anymore. We need to take care of our own populace going forward. We cannot be exporting jobs to India or giving it financial or technical handouts.It has become too big to govern or create any value for western countries or even for its own population. India needs to be carved up into smaller independent states to be a viable economically and geo politically.
I mean cows are walking around in India in front of starving people. I say slice 'em and feed 'em to famine stricken people.Humans are more important in my Christian culture and religion than cows.
Agreed. Feed the beef to the starving Indians
DO NOT EVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF NATURE. This year there was more worms securely residing in letuce tops, green beans and peppers. Big happy green worms...This was the year I was introduced to a wider life system with worms immediate in my menu.
Deniz, I like your style.
Mind I get about 16 kg overweight that I have to carry around me. Quite a lot of burden.
India is perfectly capable of feeding her people. Instead of roaming look at your immediate bills. Your bread, chicken, steak and hamburger will coast about 12% more this year. If not it would be subsidized this year. IF the weather has another spell as this year......And heed to the ecologists for once. Next year's weather will only be slightly less fierce. It is not off course the Mayan calender. It is just the solar circle.
Say the rest is almost washed off or ruined now. Can we perhaps take some action to get the wheats home? or the bacon home? or something similar