PR from the Beach

Only the silence seems to grow in face of global food shortages

It is nearly a year since I first blogged about the severe food shortages in North Korea. Today, conditions are much worse, to the point where the cloistered North is even contemplating asking for help from South Korea - so things must be bad. But North Korea is not alone in this predicament. More than three million people face starvation in Nepal, thanks to crop failures caused by climate change. The Solomon Islands face food shortages, again brought about by climate change, and the list grows by the day - Kenya, Sudan and 'closer to home' as well, with warning bells sounding in the UK over the need to address food production and agricultural issues.

North Korea's problems are seeded by its political system but many other places around the world face food shortages because of disaster, climate extremes and price hikes caused by unsustainable practices. Again, glancing back to this time last year, we were teetering at the edge of the global financial meltdown, yet warnings went unheeded and it seemed that everyone was wise only after the event. 

Signs, indicators and trends point towards food security being a major issue for millions of people in the coming year, yet the majority of mainstream media outlets are as slow to catch on to food security as they were the financial blow-outs. In western economies, price is the main issue, rather than scarcity. There is plenty of food in the shops but as jobs disappear and incomes are cut access to that food is reduced. So what's to be done? The 'agencies' - Oxfam, World Vision, the UN and many others - are all doing their part to raise not just awareness of the problem but also stimulate action to prevent conditions worsening. Sadly, as soon as one famine fire looks like it might be extinguished, another takes its place.

Mainstream media seems obstinate in its refusal to' effectively report on famines, food security issues and food shortages yet it is an issue that is going to touch each and every one of us at some point - probably sooner than we think. 

So what can we do? Talk to people about it. Blog about it. Look around and see how you can help. It might mean you decided to grow veggies in the back yard for yourself or it might mean finding a channel to make your voice heard, so that those with the power and resources to help those dying from hunger do so.

Today, 1.02 billion people are hungry. That is a huge number. A ridiculous number. Almost beyond comprehension. So boil it down - see each individual for the person they are, a person just like you but who needs our help. It is easy to imagine one child. Well, one child dies every five seconds from hunger-related causes. So in the time it has taken for you to read this, five children will have died. I think that is something worth raising our voices over, don't you?

Join the Twestival - Feb 12 2009 - and get some cool water

Something really cool from Twitter (at long last). Social media for social good.  If you like your Twitter, then join the Twestival tomorrow night in Sale Street for some fun and fundraising for clean water around the globe. 

Why? Because right now, 1.1 billion people on the planet don't have access to safe, clean drinking water. That's one in six of us. 

Facebook page here and Twestival page here for tickets to the Auckland event along with more info.

Imagine yourself not having access to clean water as you reach for your glass in the current heat - then think of a valid excuse not to turn out!

Cast a wary eye North as Iceland riots over crisis

Currently being reported as food riots in some blogs, the unrest in Iceland sees a physical manifestation of the financial meltdown that left the country all but bankrupt and, at times, facing severe food shortages. 

Here's the ITN report on YouTube and a report from The Scotsman.  Check on some of the blog conversations and you will see they are being dubbed 'food riots'.  Reviewing what has gone on, the riots are less about food and more about the future people see themselves facing - although I worry that the question of food may come into the protests soon. The actions taken by normally placid Icelandic citizens demonstrate the extent to which trust in the system - and those responsible for running the system - has been lost  We have seen food riots elsewhere in the world throughout this year (April was particulary notable for this)  and although any sort of riot is disturbing, a food riot, perhaps more than any other expresses the desperation people feel when they are cornered and without hope when it comes to the essentials of life. I think we will see more actual food riots from previously peaceful people in the months ahead and not simply because there are food shortages - primarily because people will simply not be able to afford the basics. Here in NZ, the average family food bill has risen by at least $35 - $50 per week in the last twelve months.

Without wishing to be a doom-mongerer - rather acting as an observant forecaster - there's definitely a storm brewing. Good crisis communication starts with tackling and resolving the issue long before it becomes a crisis.  Sadly, the issue has been around for the last eighteen months (longer in many parts of the globe) but very little overt action has been taken to address this fundamental concern for every single person. Hatches are not being battened, the political fallout will be extreme and the social cost immense. Oh dear.

Thanksgiving ahead - but food shortages increase in US towns

There has been a significant increase in the last three weeks in the number of stories coming out of the USA highlighting the problems and shortages facing the country's foodbanks. As times get tougher, more and more people are turning to foodbanks for help - some are reporting increases of up to 40%. Here is an example of a typical situation as described in one of the many reports.  Other reports in the last week indicate that 2007 saw 36.2 million US citizens wondering where their next meal would be coming from, a pretty shocking statistic for somewhere often referred to as the richest country on the planet. One of the many articles on this subject, sparked by a new report by the US Department of Agriculture, was written by James Thalman and gives a fairly rounded picture of the research.

Last month, World Food Day produced statistics that indicated nearly one billion people worldwide were without sufficient food. The financial crisis left Iceland with some very worrying weeks
and predictions in October suggested that similar food shortages would follow elsewhere - and soon.  As the credit crunch starts to bite and the price of food continues to rise, I suspect foodbanks in many countries are going to struggle to cope.  Personally, as Thanksgiving looms, I hope that things improve sufficiently for our neighbours in America to the point where so many of them don't have to worry where the next meal will come from.

At Asian food market, a sign of lost confidence - The Boston Globe

At Asian food market, a sign of lost confidence - The Boston Globe

Posted using ShareThis

Food Shortages: One leader calls for help, another executes those who call

Contrasting approaches to critical food shortages are apparent today. Neither needs much comment from me.
On the one hand, according to Malaysian news agency Bernama: "Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has called for global political will to address severe food shortages and help developing countries reduce hunger and poverty as the situation becomes more critical with the international financial turmoil". 
On the other hand, in North Korea, The Times (London) reports: "North Korea is clamping down on mobile phones and long distance telephone calls to prevent the spread of news about a worsening food crisis, according to the United Nations investigator on human rights for the isolated communist country."  The investigator goes on to say that public executions have been used as a means to intimidate the public.
Perhaps we could make that call on behalf of those who are unable to do so themselves - or at least respond to the Malaysian plea and add our voices to their call for action, hopefully driving a global political will that will address this situation before it is too late for another million or so people - simply trying to feed their families, just like us.

Food shortages: Price of food basics triples - 923 million people undernourished worldwide

We are just over a week on from World Food Day.  Statistics published to coincide with the event indicate that 923 million people worldwide are short of food and undernourished. If that number is too big to cope with, or seems meaningless, then think of it as every person in America - North and South - being without food. Or every single country in the European Union, plus a few more for good measure, without the wherewithal to feed that population.

As you know, I have been mithering about food shortages from Iceland to Egypt, Peru to Haiti, for most of this year and over the last week I have monitored what's happening even more closely than normal. For over two million people in North Korea, October looks like it will be the worst month yet as current reports from Associated Press indicate starvation is now a reality in parts of the country, even though the regime is apparently taking draconian steps to prevent the spread of this news to the world at large.

Amid the crisis, Iceland asks the world: How would you vote?

Before Iceland’s finance and food crisis became so very public, three guys from that country launched a little site with a great big idea - If the World Could Vote.  Anyone can go along and cast their vote and the idea is that the results will provide a snapshot of global opinion as to who would be the next President of the United States if the whole world was to have its say.

I came across it on Hjörtur Smárason’s blog, which I had returned to in order to read his post on reputation, but ended up nipping off to vote, getting thoroughly distracted looking at the world’s current voting patterns for either Barack Obama or John McCain.  The site instigators have joined the dots, so you can bookmark it, get at it through Facebook and other social media channels and, from what they say, it looks as though the idea may be replicated by some mainstream media outlets. 

How appropriate that this has been generated in Iceland, given that the country has been so publicly and dramatically affected by the global financial crisis which had its roots so firmly in US soil.

Some might say the US election is none of our global business.  They might argue that the US is an independent nation and should be subject only to the 'will of the people' and to hell with everyone else's opinion.  Which is just fine and yankee-doodle-dandy if the US maintained its isolationist policies of old. However its economy, international influence, military clout, trade rules and policies have an enormous impact on millions of lives around the world - whether asked for or not - so yes we do have an interest and it is our business. And every US citizen who takes on the responsibility of casting their vote should keep the rest of us in mind.

Could Iceland's food shortage follow in Baltic, NZ and UK?

There has been much media talk and blogosphere and forum babble about the potential domino effect of Iceland's financial woes, now compounded by impending food shortages, although mainstream media has largely ignored this aspect of the story. Commentators have suggested that Icelanders are going to have to catch an awful lot of fish if they want to repay some of the £1 billion lost in their system by UK public sector investment.  But, I ask you - what possessed public sector organisations to invest in their 'Cod War' opponent of old?  I can only surmise that it was an attempt by the public sector organisations to survive under the UK Labour Government which has run that country's economy ragged over the past years. Gordon Brown as treasurer was past master at 'giving' with one hand and 'taking' with the other, so it all looked good until you took a long hard look at the books. Local authorities have struggled so the prospect of some high interest on their cash probably looked appealing - forgetting of course that there is no such thing as a free lunch.

But the main focus of discussion is on the possible effects in other 'small' places - including New Zealand. The Baltic states have been 'named' as other areas on the verge of similar problems, but this, so far, is being vigourously denied .  Personally, even if the NZ financial system collapsed, I don't believe there would be a problem with food, because as a country we are able to feed ourselves. This wouldn't help the long term picture but there would be food available, particularly given that one of our main 'industries' is agriculture, dairy and meat.  For Iceland, the shortages are very real if they can't get the foreign currency they need. For the other 'smaller' countries, the issue is more of confidence and trust. If the main players maintain that trust and the key relationships necessary for the system to function, then, as they say, she'll be right. If not, things become trickier.

Personally, I believe the UK is in greater danger from food shortages than smaller countries, which tend to have better relationships with those around them - and more food in the larder.  I seriously doubt that the UK could feed itself if it's finances failed in the same way as Iceland - which is why Gordon has been rushing around handing out what is left in the coffers to prop up the banks. There are too many people for the land area, too much land has been given over to non-food use and when you combine the many EU restrictions with the huge number of imports and falling exports things really don't look tickety-boo. Economically and socially, it is a disaster waiting to happen. So Gordon Brown shouldn't get too shirty with Iceland. His government created the conditions that led to the public sector investments being made in the first place.  So play nice. Rebuild the relationships. You might need the fish.

I am adding a 'PS' to this a little while after the original post, as having stumbled upon this blog post from Icelander Hjortur Smarason, I wanted to share it with you. It's an interesting read, adds relevant and valuable context to the Iceland discussion - I'll look for more views from Iceland that you might like to read. Hjortur is one of the few Iceland citizens I have found blogging in English (he just celebrated his first year of 'English' blogging) and from a personal point of view, it is pertinent that Hjortur says in reply to comments that he will be writing more about "how bad public relations ruined their economy and how good public relations is needed to fix it".  I'll look forward to that one.

Cold comfort for Iceland as food shortages loom

As a 'ps' to yesterday's post - and in case you were thinking that the whole issue of food shortages is just something for the so-called 'poorer' nations to worry about, take a look at what is in store - or not - for Iceland on the back of the currency woes, according to a Bloomberg report.  With no foreign currency, the country's supermarkets are facing low stock levels and no money to pay for imports.  Looks like it will be a long cold winter unless the IMF steps in to help.