Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food (de Shuter, 2008, p8) explains: 'Food
and fuel compete for scarce arable land: either the land available is increased by de-
forestation, as seen in Brazil or in Indonesia, or less food is produced in order to fill
car tanks'. According to some estimates, about 30 per cent of US maize production
went into ethanol in 2008 rather than into world food markets (von Braun, 2008). The
encouragement given to the agro-fuel industry to divert production of maize from
food to fuel leads to increased corn prices.
The conversion of food into agro-fuel has been described as a recipe for disaster.
It is estimated that it takes about 200 kg of maize to fill one tank of a car with agro-
fuel (about 50 litres), whih is enough food to feed one person for one year (Nicolino,
2007). Producing agro-fuels therefore creates a batle between food and fuel, leaving
the poor and hungry in developing countries at the mercy of rapidly rising prices for
food, land and water. If agro-industrial methods are pursued to turn food into fuel,
then there are also risks that unemployment and violations of the right to food may
result, unless specific measures are put in place to ensure that agro-fuels specifically
contribute to the development of small-scale peasant and family farming.
This is not the first time human rights' advocates have highlighted the problem
posed by biofuels, however the current food crisis has clearly highlighted the seri-
ousness of the situation. Governments have been prompted to readjust their policies
on subsidizing and promoting investment in agro-fuels. Governmental policies can-
not favour investment that is detrimental to the protection and promotion of the
right to food.
The rapid increase in the prices of food crops also intensifies competition over
land and other natural resources. This pits peasant farmers and indigenous com-
munities against massive agribusiness corporations and large investors who are
already buying up large swathes of land or forcing peasants of their land, often
through a phenomenon known as 'land-grabbing'. Land-grabbing can be understood
as being the process whereby an important area of agricultural land is acquired
(through long-term lease or purhase) by a foreign company or government for the
production of edible crops or agro-fuels. It is argued that land-grabbing is a new self-
suiciency policy for rih net-importers of food, who have been frightened by the
export restrictions or bans and increased export taxes during the recent food crisis
(Cotula
et al.
, 2009, pp52-54). However, recent land-grabbing deals show a penhant
not only for staples, but also for bio-fuels projects (McMihael, this volume; he
Economist, 2009).
