Made-in-the-USA Food Crisis at Home and Worldwide
Stephen Lendman
Throughout US history, hunger risking famine never threatened the nation and its people.
Even during WW II rationing to provide for 12 million men and women in the US armed forces, the needs of civilians at home were well served.
Is that changing because of diabolical US policymaking?
Will a combination of soaring inflation, disrupted supply chains, growing economic weakness and depopulation aims put millions of US households and others abroad at risk of starvation?
Does a worldwide food crisis loom?
According to a Global Situation Report last October — long before Russia’s SMO began in Ukraine — hunger and food insecurity have been increasing worldwide since 2014.
“Global hunger in 2020” exceeded its extent over the five previous years combined.
“Without urgent intervention (to address) global food insecurity,” things will continue to worsen ahead.
The risk of famine in parts of the world is ominously high — putting the lives of millions at risk.
“In 2020, 2.37 billion people” lacked access to enough food — around 31% of the world’s population.
Since then, conditions worsened significantly.
What’s going on has nothing to do with Russia’s SMO in Ukraine, nothing to do with a nonexistent flu/covid pandemic, nothing to do with the myth of climate change.
It has everything to do with diabolical US-led Western policies.
They include unparalleled sanctions war on invented enemy Russia, transferring massive amounts of global wealth from the vast majority to the privileged few, forever US/NATO wars on one invented enemy after another, along with throwing trillions of dollars at merchants of death and destruction to wage them in perpetuity — while vital homeland needs go begging.
According to economist, former Russian Economic Development Minister, Maksim Oreshkin, the risk of global famine is ominously high.
It could be evident by autumn, then spread globally by yearend, he believes.
Along with irresponsible Western monetary policies, US control of Ukraine’s grain greatly increased its cost, Oreshkin explaining:
The Biden regime intends “to take out the grain reserves that Ukraine currently has in its possession.”
The diabolical scheme is “another (US) action that dooms Ukraine to serious humanitarian problems, but also dooms the global community to having big problems with hunger.”
Russia will be unaffected because of its large-scale production of wheat, corn and barley.
Russia and Ukraine produce about 30% of global wheat.
For years, “wheat prices on the world market were stable, but following increased (US money printing madness and reduced exports), “prices started rising” sharply, Oreshkin explained.
In 2022 year-to-date, wheat prices rose over 60%.
The sharp increase, what’s likely to keep rising, is also because major grain producers Russia, Kazakhstan and India banned or greatly restricted exports to assure an adequate domestic supply.
According to Italian politician Matteo Salvini, if (US proxy war on Russia) in Ukraine continues with no near-term end in prospect, impoverished African countries will be at risk of famine by fall.
Along with skyrocketing energy prices, the soaring cost of fertilizer — up 300% year-over-year — forced many US/Western and other farmers to use less, plant less, and produce less food.
Some farmers let their fields go fallow because costs exceed revenues from food production.
It’s happening in the US/West and elsewhere globally.
According to one estimate, 20% less food will be produced this year worldwide.
Growing food insecurity and hunger are sure to follow, along with famine conditions in some countries.
According to the UN last week:
“A global food crisis…is being driven to famine levels worldwide (because of reduced) grain exports.
“In 2021, 140 million people suffer(ing) (from) acute hunger lived in…Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.”
Conditions today are worsening.
Ukraine once produced enough grain to feed 400 million people.
With hegemon USA controlling its supply in pursuit of its diabolical aims, millions of Ukrainians and others worldwide face food insecurity, hunger and famine.
For the first time in modern memory, US households face empty food store shelves for essentials.
Current shortages may increase significantly before yearend, along with much higher prices.
US drought conditions in parts of the US are making a bad situation worse.
In 2020, 60 million Americans needed help from food banks to feed their families.
At yearend 2021, Feeding America CEO Katie Fitzgerald said the following:
“Food banks (began) to see an uptick in demand recently, and we are bracing for 2022.”
At a time of soaring inflation and economic weakness with the worst of times likely ahead, millions more US households will be hard-pressed to feed their families.
Will famine occur in impoverished parts of the country?
Millions of Americans are food insecure.
They’re unsure where their next meal is coming from.
As soaring inflation and disrupted supply chains make a bad situation worse than already, will America’s most needy go hungry?
Will lack of enough food to survive take cause avoidable deaths from malnutrition?
Will the world’s richest country pay lip service alone to the growing problem by continuing to enrich its privileged few at the expense of most others?
Will growing numbers of America’s most needy perish because undemocratic Dems prioritize war on humanity at home and abroad over peace, equity and justice for all?
Original Article: https://stephenlendman.org/2022/05/22/made-in-the-usa-food-crisis-at-home-and-worldwide/