Let Them Eat Mud - the New Face of Hunger

I can't say I remember ever eating mud as a child, but I've since witnessed a few little'ns getting caught mud-handed. Unless the soil is contaminated, it's not a particularly dangerous activity. In fact, the practice of eating mud, in small amounts, goes back aways. It was often used as a treatment, as clay's absorbent properties can help to carry poisons through the system. A number of animals and birds also eat dirt on occasion. The practice is called geophagy -- and, for those interested, the Guardian has a brief on this unusual 'culinary delight'.

But, how about eating mud three times a day, and not for any therapeutic purpose, but out of necessity?

Mud cookies, baking in the sun

It was lunchtime in one of Haiti's worst slums, and Charlene Dumas was eating mud. With food prices rising, Haiti's poorest can't afford even a daily plate of rice, and some take desperate measures to fill their bellies. Charlene, 16 with a 1-month-old son, has come to rely on a traditional Haitian remedy for hunger pangs: cookies made of dried yellow dirt from the country's central plateau. -- ABC

Made of mud, salt, and vegetable shortening, these mud cookies have become the main 'staple' for some, and they have to pay for the privilege.... But, they're a lot cheaper than buying actual food.

Recent reports have me wondering how many more people will be forced to take up this practice? Food price rises are showing no sign of slowing as they continue to break price barrier records worldwide. In fact, the World Food Programme, the United Nation's voluntarily funded food aid agency, last week issued an "extraordinary emergency appeal to address the critical funding gap" (PDF) in their aid programmes due to soaring fuel and food prices. The aid agency meets the needs of some 70 million people in up to 80 nations -- and at the moment the funds they have to meet those needs are short by over 500 million dollars, and this gap is widening daily. Millions of the world's poorest are now facing an unprecedented threat of having their already meagre rations significantly reduced, or completely stopped.

Josette Sheeran, the organisation's executive director, told journalists yesterday that this was the first time in its history that the WFP had appealed for funds, not because of a crisis caused by famine or war but because of market conditions. And she warned that if extra resources were not received before the beginning of May, food rations would have to be cut.
"This is the new face of hunger," she said. "People are simply being priced out of food markets. It's the first time we have been hit by a dramatic market surprise. We have never before had a situation where aggressive rises in food prices keep pricing our operations out of our reach."
... "It's a situation that is changing nearly every day. We used to adjust our basic food prices every year or two but now it's weekly or even daily because the changes are so quick and, unfortunately, all seem to go in the same direction," said Ms Sheeran.
She warned that if donors did not stump up: "We will see the scaling back of operations in the next months – each operation will need to be scaled back. There could be quite a dramatic effect on the number of people we are able to provide with food. -- Independent

Many erroneously believe that the world doesn't produce enough food. But, in fact, the world produces more than enough to keep every individual on the planet healthy and well fed. Problems of nutritional deficiencies, hunger and starvation are generally, and, increasingly, economic (market driven) -- this is "the new face of hunger". Think of nations as individuals at an auction -- as this is how the world's resources are distributed today, they go to the highest bidder. Like Oliver Twist, many have their noses pressed up against the glass -- there is food on the shelves, but it's out of reach; they just can't afford to pay for it. Why? Well, we'll let Pinky the cat explain some of the broader reasons (because cats are good at that), before we get into the specifics:

So, what, specifically, are the causes for the latest rounds of escalating prices? If you've been paying attention to our constant bleating here on Celsias, you'll know full well. It is...

... competition between biofuels and food, increased demand for food by countries with emerging economies and erratic weather... -- World Food Programme

The biofuel aspect is obvious -- well, at least to all who aren't cashing in on the production and supply aspects, that is. The impact on the poor from putting people with money (car and air-ticket owners) into competition for food with the world's have nots, has been predicted for years. It's not complicated to figure out, but the logic has somehow eluded policy-makers worldwide. Thanks to sites like Celsias and other environmental blogs, websites, non-governmental organisations, etc., the problems associated with turning food into fuel is beginning to get noticed. Additionally, there have been a number of reports of late, officially confirming the environmental and social problems directly related to biofuel production and transport. The latest have come out of the UK, Europe, and finally the U.S. But, although the reports are helpful, getting governments to actually act on the information and change policies is a whole other matter entirely. There is a lot of vested interest in growing the biofuels industry, and with millions already invested in biofuel infrastructures, people are loathe to retrace their steps. The industries involved have tremendous lobbying power, and seem unable to think outside of their wallets.

In China, more little piggies than ever are going to market

The other aspect mentioned, "increased demand for food by countries with emerging economies", is referring to the growing middle class in nations like China and India, who are now determined to live the McModern life. Aside from building larger homes -- building and paving over valuable agricultural land -- and consuming more fuel, people are also changing their diets. They're not just eating more food, they're eating more energy, water, and land-intensive food -- in the form of meat and dairy products. Crops are now being fed to livestock instead of people, with an inefficiency ratio of about 8:1, and all so the newly prosperous can chow down on the high fat, low fibre western diet that's made U.S. medical facilities immensely profitable.

McDonalds advertising in China. A new chic meat-eating lifestyle, with happy, trendy animals eager to be factory farmed and eaten

The livestock sector is by far the single largest anthropogenic user of land. The total area occupied by grazing is equivalent to 26 percent of the ice-free terrestrial surface of the planet. In addition, the total area dedicated to feedcrop production amounts to 33 percent of total arable land. In all, livestock production accounts for 70 percent of all agricultural land and 30 percent of the land surface of the planet. - Livestock’s Long Shadow, Executive Summary

The third aspect, erratic weather, is climate change -- a product of modern society, itself brought about with major contributions from the two points above. Floods, droughts, fires, storms and hurricanes can quickly destroy the labours, and food, of millions. With abrupt climate changes and natural disasters only predicted to increase, aid agencies are unlikely to keep up with demand for their services.

Next time you eat that steak, or that cheeseburger, or stop to buy fuel (any fuel, actually, not only those containing biofuels), spare a thought for people struggling to survive. Think about reduction; think about mud cookies....