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SRES 1001: Resources, Environment and Society

SRES 1001: Resources, Environment and Society 27 May 2008: Kersty Hobson, Lecturer, Fenner School, ANU. The world food crisis…what is going on?. “The ultimate ethical meal: a grey squirrel”

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SRES 1001: Resources, Environment and Society

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  1. SRES 1001: Resources, Environment and Society 27 May 2008: Kersty Hobson, Lecturer, Fenner School, ANU

  2. The world food crisis…what is going on? “The ultimate ethical meal: a grey squirrel” “It tastes sweet, like a cross between lamb and duck. And it's selling as fast as butchers can get it.” Caroline DaviesSunday May 11, 2008The Observer http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/food/story/0,,2279357,00.html

  3. Crisis…what crisis?

  4. Food crises are nothing new

  5. Australia’s food imports and exports, 2005-2006 Sector Import Export Meat $322m $7.5 billion Grains $677m $5.6 billion Dairy $410m $2.5 billion Seafood $1049m $1.2 billion Data from National Food Industry Strategy: see http://www.nfis.com.au/

  6. Why is this happening? • LOW STOCK LEVELS: e.g. world cereal stock are at their lowest in three decades. • PETROL PRICES: these correlate highly with food prices due to fertilizer prices nearly tripling and transport costs doubling over a two year period. • BIOFUEL SECTOR: It is estimated that about 100 million tons of grain (some 4.7 percent of global cereal production) are being used for biofuels in 2007/8. • FALLING PRODUCTIVITY: e.g world cereal production fell by 3.6 percent in 2005 and 6.9 percent in 2006 due to bad weather in major producing countries. • TRADE POLICIES; e.g. export bans have contributed to higher prices in certain cases. • CHANGING DIETS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: e.g. over the last 15 years, meat consumption has more than doubled in China and grew by 70 percent in Brazil and 20 percent in India. Since it takes some 5 Kg of cereals to produce 1 Kg of meat, this shift in diet is also leading to higher cereal prices.

  7. Why is this happening? • LOW STOCK LEVELS: e.g. world cereal stock are at their lowest in three decades. • PETROL PRICES: these correlate highly with food prices due to fertilizer prices nearly tripling and transport costs doubling over a two year period. • BIOFUEL SECTOR: It is estimated that about 100 million tons of grain (some 4.7 percent of global cereal production) are being used for biofuels in 2007/8. • FALLING PRODUCTIVITY: e.g world cereal production fell by 3.6 percent in 2005 and 6.9 percent in 2006 due to bad weather in major producing countries. • TRADE POLICIES; e.g. export bans have contributed to higher prices in certain cases. • CHANGING DIETS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: e.g. over the last 15 years, meat consumption has more than doubled in China and grew by 70 percent in Brazil and 20 percent in India. Since it takes some 5 Kg of cereals to produce 1 Kg of meat, this shift in diet is also leading to higher cereal prices.

  8. “Poverty is not socialism. To be rich is glorious”

  9. SO…. • We are all getting fatter (still) but there are small shifts to changing food practices in the ‘west’. • Growth in meat and processed food consumption in East and South Asia does impact global food patterns and will continue to do so. • Can they learn from our mistakes and ‘leap-frog’ unsustainable consumption?

  10. And, next semester… SRES1008: Australia, Asia and the Pacific: Society and Environment • 6 units, Second Semester Aims to: • Develop students’ knowledge of key issues in the region through place-based case studies • Develop students’ conceptual knowledge of social science theories and practices • Develop participatory and research-based approaches to learning. If you have any questions, contact Kersty.Hobson@anu.edu.au

  11. Some useful references • Rae, A. N. (1998) The effects of expenditure growth and urbanisation on food consumption in East Asia. Agricultural Economics 18: 291-299. • Wang Z, Zhai F, Du S, and Popkin B (2008) Dynamic Shifts in Chinese eating behaviors. Asia-Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 17(1): 123-130 • Myers, N. and J. Kent (2003) New Consumers: The influence of affluence on the environment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 100(8): 4963-4968 • Davis, D. S. (2000) The Consumer Revolution in Urban China. Berkeley, University of California Press.

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