[Radix] Fwd: Preparations for food crises?

[Terry Cannon]

Dear All,
a related - crucial issue - is the relationship of "hoarding" to food price. 
Also key is the category of actor who is hoarding - there is a common 
accusation that merchants hoard to benefit from the rising prices, and can in 
effect set the price. Sen on the Bengal famine (full warehouses while people 
starved in the street outside his home...) is recalled here.

I have not read up on food markets in crises, but in regard to the two points 
above it seems absolutely crucial. One aspect seems to be the high price 
elasticity of supply - in short it only seems to require a relatively small 
reduction in production or availability of food for there to be a very 
disproportionate increase in price. But then we need to know the role of the 
powerful actors, and whether or not their command of supply is instrumental in 
this, and whether they can set prices.

It seems often the case that the problem is not a shortage of food, but the 
price that poor people are expected to pay for it.

best wishes
Terry

-- 
Terry Cannon
Reader in Development Studies & 
Research Fellow of the Natural Resources Institute
School of Humanities
University of Greenwich, Old Royal Naval College
London SE10 9LS
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Quoting George Kent <kent at hawaii.edu>:

> Radixers --
> 
> I got no reply to this, so I'll try a variation on the theme.
> 
> One of the first indicators that a food crisis is anticipated is food  
> hoarding. When it gets to a high level, it may be possible to  
> institute some sort of rationing scheme, but there is a need to  
> prepare for that. Has anyone seen good plans, or at least ideas, on  
> how to limit hoarding through means short of rationing, and how to  
> conduct rationing if and when that becomes necessary?
> 
> Food systems would show decisive breakdown when people start resorting  
> to violence to get food, by breaking into stores, stealing farm  
> produce, etc. Where is the planning to deal with the possibility of  
> breakdown of food systems?
> 
> Aloha, George
> 
> 
> 
> Begin forwarded message:
> 
> > From: George Kent <kent at hawaii.edu>
> > Date: June 12, 2008 12:08:34 PM HST
> > To: radix at ecie.org
> > Subject: Preparations for food crises?
> >
> > Radix pals --
> >
> > Amid the current worldwide talk about a food crisis, there are some  
> > people imagining the possibility of extreme food shortages in the  
> > US. See, for example,
> http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=29974028
> >
> > What can you tell us about the current status of planning for a food  
> > crisis in the US, at the federal level or the state level?
> >
> > I think the key to disaster planning regarding food would be food  
> > storage. Warehouses in the US generally hold no more than a few days  
> > worth of food. However, there would also have to be a rationing plan  
> > of some sort, since the impulse to hoard would be so strong. We  
> > recently had a run on rice here in Hawai'i, provoked by rumors about  
> > short supplies. The run would be much bigger in a true crisis.
> >
> > There is now rapidly escalating trade in food commodity futures.  
> > That is just another form of hoarding.
> >
> > I think the probability of a serious food crisis in the US is  
> > relatively low, partly because each state has multiple food sources  
> > and backup from the federal government. However, food crises  
> > certainly are imaginable. It would be irresponsible for the states  
> > and the federal government to not have food crisis plans in place.
> >
> > So, what is the current state of preparation for food crises? Do we  
> > have any good model plans anywhere?
> >
> > Aloha, George
> >
> > +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> > Professor George Kent
> > Department of Political Science
> > 2424 Maile Way, Saunders 610
> > University of Hawai'i
> > Honolulu, Hawai'i 96822
> > USA
> >
> > Phone:    1 808 396-9422
> > Cell:         1 808 389-9422
> > Fax:          1 808 956-6877
> > Email:       kent at hawaii.edu
> > Website:   http://www2.hawaii.edu/~kent
> > Skype ID: geokent
> >
> >
> >
> >
> 
>