As Much As 60% of Ukraine's Wheat Export Crop Damaged by Rain

Heavy rains in the Ukraine have left as much as 60% of the wheat crop meant for export from this season unfit for humans.  The Ukraine is Egypt's largest supplier of wheat. A major reason for the revolution that took place in Egypt this year had to do with very high food prices.

Last year, nearly all of Russia's wheat was destroyed by severe drought and the Kremlin banned exports. This year, the Ukrainian wheat has been damaged by rain.

Severe climate disruptions are one of the components affecting high food prices globally and the news from Ukraine strengthens the argument that countries around the world that import their food need to make contingency plans and develop a robust food security policy.


More information about the Ukrainian Wheat Damage in this WSJ Article

How Food Prices Affect Your Weight

Morgan Clendaniel recently posted about studies showing that changes in food prices make significant impacts on the choices people make regarding their diet.

Some of the research suggests that reducing prices on healthy foods like fruits and vegetables is more beneficial than raising prices on unhealthy food.

The way in which small changes in food prices affect weight and community health and how related the two are is very interesting.

a link to the article

Just 10 inches from oblivion

Geoffrey Lean from the Telegraph writes about one of the more critical but not very popular environmental problems that is affecting food production and global health -  topsoil erosion, degradation and how it is affecting food production.

link to Telegraph article

This is arguably one of the most significant environmental challenges we're facing today, especially as the demand for food crops increases as rapidly as it has been.

honey bees and food crisis

"Viruses and mites have, according to the U.N., killed 85% of bees in the Middle East, 10% to 30% of bees in Europe, and nearly a third of American bees each year. This is a big deal--over 70 of the 100 crops that provide 90% of the world's food are pollinated by bees (that's $83 billion worth of crops)."


Interesting statistics about the honeybee situation around the world and the way it affects food production

link to article

Agencies See Decade of High Food Prices

WSJ article from a few weeks ago predicting a sustained period of high food prices


link to the WSJ article


LONDON—Food prices will be up to 30% higher on average over the next decade as slowing

grains production fails to keep pace with rising demand, the Organization for Economic

Cooperation and Development said Friday.

G20 farm ministers tackle high food prices, agreeing to a watered-down declaration that fell short of France's proposals to tighten regulation of commodity markets.

Update:  looks like the other farm ministers weren't convinced to support France's push for new regulations


link to article

Credit: Reuters/Jacky Naegelen

(Reuters) - G20 farm ministers settled a deal on Thursday to tackle high food prices, agreeing to a watered-down declaration that fell short of France's ambitious proposals to tighten regulation of commodity markets.

G20 agriculture summit to discuss food security and regulating global markets

Rising food prices were discussed in Europe recently: interesting French position on tariffs and regulations.

link to the article


"World food prices that rose 37% in a year, driving 44 million more people into poverty, are a “plague” that needs action from world leaders now, said French President Nicolas Sarkozy during the two-day Group of 20 agriculture ministers in Paris." A market that is not regulated is not a market, it’s a lottery in which fortune smiles on the most cynical, instead of rewarding hard work, investment and the creation of value” underlined Sarkozy."