Brit Simon Robinson posts about yesterday’s column on the world food crisis and biofuel’s role in it:

Barton Hinkle’s piece makes the link between food aid, the ability of biofuel to lift the rural poor in developing nations out of subsistence farming and on the corruption that accompanies much food aid.

Worth reading if only because the US could gain a lot of credit overseas if it were to start promoting biofuel cash crops in the developing world. These could help elevate the poor out of poverty, and build mutual need between the rich north and the poor south.

But imagine Congress trying to promote the creation of a biofuels program among indigenous farmers abroad. Archer Daniels Midland and other agribusiness interests here in the U.S. would scream bloody murder about Washington undercutting domestic companies. Subsidies are for rich corporate interests, not starving furriners!

No need to blame Bush. His fingerprints are already all over the ethanol scam, as are countless speechs touting the benefits of biofuel. One of the major elements of his energy policy. Part of his illustrious legacy of extreme incompetence.

Look at the bright side. There is always some possibility they will get switchgrass to work. If they do, you can shout “told ya so” to the rooftops.

Blaming this on the Dems is a non-starter.  Blaming it on the agriculture lobby and farm states is a possiblity. Big Agra. Collosal mega-boondoggle.

Let’s hope switchgrass will indeed come riding to the rescue like Ronald Reagan in his cavalry garb in the Westerns.

The important thing now, even more important than feeding people, is to figure out a way to blame this eco freak pipe dream on Bush before he leaves office.

Get busy sanitizing the ethanol crime scene. Don’t forget to wipe for prints and get those talking points out to all the left wing think tanks on the comedy channels.

Save the taxpayer billions and stop all agriculture subsidies in the US! Then save more $$$ by stopping all US foreign aid for any reason.

Close 3/4 of US Embassies around the World. Bring home all US troops from all foreign countries.

Let the “chosen ones” terrorize the World and eat sand. They are not worth our time and money.

Peace on earth and goodwill to all peoples!

Bob, excluding all his leftist musings, is correct on one point that should have been obvious.

If there are food shortages right now because of biofuel crops there will be even more shortages if third world countries switch over already limited food production to biofuels.

The only difference is they will have some “cash”, which they can then use to pay for expensive imported food.  Wouldn’t it make more sense for them to simply grow their own food in their own little garden patch ? 

Admittedly the idea behind a cash crop is that it will pay a little extra, thus enabling the farmer to not only feed his family but have a little left over. It isn’t clear though that such a scheme is feasible.

I googled the subject and discovered conflicting reports. Some experts are saying biofuels suck up too much water, impossible in already arid Saharan areas, and causing huge environmental problems in irrigated lands like India and China.

Others say new crops like sweet sorghum along with added fertilizers will make it all work out.

If it sounds as if sweet sorghum is the 3rd world equivalent of our switchgrass you would be getting the idea.

We were sold a bill of goods for ethanol production. We were told that corn was just temporary, and that soon it would just be weeds and twigs producing the golden elixir. We are still waiting for that promise to be fulfilled.

Well, folks are promoting the same schemes out of Africa. Like one of Vescos schemes the public eagerly awaits the promise to be fulfilled. Hold on to your Confederate currency. Soon to be legal tender, just as soon as we can get the Africans to switch over to sweet sorghum all will be well.

In Brazil. a country that has encouraged biofuel production is having food shortages. Why ? Land for food crops is overtaken by biofuel"s production.
It is hardly a novel idea to have third world countries to produce products
needed in the developing world. Companies such as United Fruit ran Central American countries for decades. Cuba was a second home to Western Sugar intrests, coffee companies control large swaths of Latin American countries directly or through their proxy elites.
As to the wisdom of food aid to the Third World, I will leave that alone. But I do find it ironic that we will send military aid to all sorts of dictators to stay in power. But we have to debate food aid.
In reality, its all the same. Liberals try to control populations here and abroad through the carrot. of aid.Republicans prefer the stick of military aid, bigotry, law and order gimmicks,religion ect. But is all about America sticking its nose into places in need not be for moralistic prestige .
And usually, there is a corporation making a profit off it.

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