The bemused Brits at the Economist paid Pat Mulroy a visit: The main reason why Lake Mead, currently only 40% full, has been getting emptier is a decade-long drought. Whether this is a cyclical and normal event, or an early sign of climate change, is unclear. But even if the drought ends, most scientists think …
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Global food prices are down 6 percent from one month ago, 34 percent from a year ago, according to the Economist’s food price index.
The global price of food is down 27 percent from a year ago, says the Economist. I’d link, but I’m typing this on my iPod.
Has the global food price slide finally stopped? The Economist food price index is up 10 percent over last week.
Has the global food price hit bottom? The Economist food price index is up from last week, and 0.6 percent above the price a month ago.
Yes, as I have noted many times, food is getting a lot cheaper. But the other downsides to the current economic mess are likely to overwhelm any short term benefits for the hungry in the world’s poor parts, according to an analysis by Joachim von Braun of the International Food Policy Research Institute, published in …
I guess all of us eat, right? So the continued slide in the global price of food is a good thing, right? Economists have a model they call the “cobweb model“. It basicaly says that when the price drops, farmers plant less, there’s less food, and the price goes back up. So maybe not such …
FAO thinks we should not be sanguine about falling global food prices: [T]he gradual return to equilibrium in food markets should not be taken to assume that the world’s food problems have been fixed, neither in the short-run nor with a view to the longer-term challenges. Cereal stocks still need to be replenished and lower …
Paul Collier, writing in the current Foreign Affairs, argues thus about climate change and food prices: In recent years, the increase in demand resulting from gradually increasing incomes in Asia has instead been matched with several supply shocks, such as the prolonged drought in Australia. These shocks will only become more common with the climatic …
cactus fruit Originally uploaded by heinemanfleck. A tray of cactus fruit, which Lissa is processing for later holiday treats. She harvested what must be about 50 pounds (~100 kg) from the prickly pear in the front yard this morning. The picture doesn’t quite do justice to the lovely purple color. She cooks it down and …