Making Sense of Asia's Food Quagmire

Nothing could be as much a mirror of poor people's food plight as Thai farmers reportedly conducting armed vigils in their rice fields at night to prevent thieves from reaping the crop.As a measure against nocturnal rice thefts, Thai authorities introduced a six o'clock p.m. curfew on combine harvesters, vehicles used to harvest the crop.
In Thailand, as in many parts of Asia, the price of rice has gone up dramatically in recent months tempting greedy and corrupt dealers to use any means available to get a hold of the pricey grain for either sell or hoarding. In fact, the hoarding of rice has been blamed for the price spirals forcing governments to impose buying rations.According to the Asia Development Bank (ADB), approximately 1 billion Asians need assistance to cope with soaring food prices and shortages.The purchasing power of many of Asia's poor has been seriously eroded reversing previous gains made in fighting poverty.The International Herald Tribune describes rice, a staple food for half of the global population, as one of the "world's most politically fragile crop."Like the price of rice, general food prices are on the rise in many parts of the world, forcing poor people to protest -- sometimes violently -- against governments.Food riots have erupted in countries such as Haiti, Cameroon, Egypt, Indonesia, Senegal and Somalia, among others, threatening national stability or exacerbating conflict. Poor people, particularly children and those living with diseases, face the risk of malnutrition or death due to inadequate diets.
"It's the worst crisis of its kind in more than 30 years," Jeffrey Sachs, and economist and UN special adviser recently told The New York Times. "It's a big deal and it's obviously threatening a lot of governments. There are a number of governments on the ropes, and I think there's more political fallout to come."Experts say that food reserves are at their lowest in 35 years, and there is a systemic imbalance between the forces of supply and demand that cannot be fixed in the short term. UN statistics show that global food prices have risen by 65 percent since 2002 to levels increasingly beyond the reach of the poor.

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