UN Warns World Food Stocks Dwindling Rapidly

Well, the International Herald Tribune and The New York Times both published an article in December 2007 with warnings from the UN on the food supply of the world.
Elisabeth Rosenthal reported:
In an "unforeseen and unprecedented" shift, the world food supply is dwindling rapidly and food prices are soaring to historic levels, the top food and agriculture official of the United Nations warned.

The changes created "a very serious risk that fewer people will be able to get food," particularly in the developing world, said Jacques Diouf, head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
At the same time, reserves of cereals are severely depleted, FAO records show. World wheat stores declined 11 percent this year, to the lowest level since 1980.
That corresponds to 12 weeks of the world's total consumption - much less than the average of 18 weeks consumption in storage during the period 2000-2005. There are only 8 weeks of corn left, down from 11 weeks in the earlier period.
"We're concerned that we are facing the perfect storm for the world's hungry," said Josette Sheeran, executive director of the World Food Program.
But that after that, "all bets are off," said Francesco Tubiello, of Columbia University Earth Institute. "Many people assume that we will never have a problem with food production on a global scale, but there is a strong potential for negative surprises."
FOA Global Information and Early Warning System On Food and Agriculture/ World Program www.fao.org/docrep/010/ai469e.htm reported that The Mission estimates that 2.04 million people in rural and urban areas will be food insecure between July and September 2008, rising to 3.8 million people between October and peaking to about 5.1 million at the height of the hungry season between January and March 2009. The food insecure population will require food assistance amounting to some 395 000 tons of cereals in 2008/09. Additional foods such as oil and legumes, as well as supplementary foods will also be required to augment the higher needs of most vulnerable groups.
The market availability of cereals for households that have purchasing power will be crucial to avoid more people becoming food insecure due to scarcity and higher food prices that could result from such scarcity. In view of the GMB’s limited capacity, the Mission further recommends that trading in cereals should be opened up to private traders to ensure that cereals can be imported and moved quickly to areas of need.
The Mission also recommends emergency assistance by the Government and the international community to supply timely and quality seed and fertilizer, and dipping chemicals for the control of tick-borne livestock diseases. Appropriate varieties of maize and small-grain seed also need to be sourced urgently for delivery in September 2008. Promotion of locally grown open pollinated variety seed and use of manure instead of imported chemical fertilizers needs to be considered.

There are reports of nature crying out for help just this year. But there are no real answers. For example, there is fundamentally something wrong with the bee right now. Every year Beekeepers are finding it harder and harder to keep the bees alive. They are dying at an alarming rate around the world.
Green Planet reported that the bees have not been healthy for a long time. Since the 1980’s bees have been in a lot of trouble. But what we really see is when the Varroa mites were added. They got here from importations of queens from Japan. They are like vampires that are able to pass viruses through their sharp mouthparts and pass these viruses from one bee to the other. Now there is a huge decline in the total number of U.S. colonies.
In 1980 the decline was 4.5 million
In 1990 three million
In 2000 2.8 million
Beehives infested with varroa mites can’t be treated very easily because the stuff to get rid of the mites end up in the honey and then people will ingest it. But if the mites were the single factor then the problem could possibly be solved quickly. But it isn’t, there is more at play, making this a real mystery. Scientists have never seen anything like this before.
In 2007, beekeepers report a 31% loss of their remaining bee colonies. Scientists identify this phenomenon as Colony Collapse Disorder. Millions of bees are dying in hives across the U.S. and they don’t really know exactly why. Only speculations have been made at this point with no real solutions to the problem.
They have also found that the bees have no immunities against the on slot of the viruses that may be introduced through the mites, like aids in humans. People who die with aids die because their immune systems are too low to fight off disease.
They have also found some links to IAPV, a virus found in Australian bees yet the bees there are not effected like those here in the U.S. Scientists warn if this problem continues our entire eco system could be in danger.
Sad to say if the cause remains unreachable, at the current rate of decline, bees will cease to exist in the U.S. by 2035 or maybe even sooner at the rate it is going.
*The yield reductions in drought, fire, mudslide, and sometimes too much rain cause conditions that will destroy our food supplies even without the on slot of bees becoming extinct. But with all things considered we should brace ourselves for what seems the inevitable. But it is not the time to fear, but a time to prepare.
You can start food storage just like you would if you were preparing for any other disaster. There is still time to store dry goods and some canned if you want to. A rule of thumb is to always mark the date you put them in storage.
All dry goods can be kept in tight containers with bay leaves distributed throughout whatever you are storing. The purpose for the bay leaves is to prevent bugs and/or worms that want to snack on your food. This includes flour, beans, meal, rice etc. And your goods can be kept in a dry place for up to seven years.
You can store canned goods as well. Make sure you look for any signs of dents and check your cans from time to time for rust spots. This is why it is important that you keep your goods in a dry place. Canned goods also can be kept for up to seven years.
You don’t have to have a lot of money to start either. For example, when you go to the store buy an extra bag of beans or of rice and then start filling your containers. If you are buying your favorite canned food then buy an extra one and put it away. Before you know it you will have a good size of storage for you and your loved ones.
Good luck.
Commentary By Cyndi Smith