HILLSBOROUGH: Biofuels are negatively skewing food production

Submitted Content
To the editor:
For the past few decades, the idea that our food production will not be able to sustain a growing world population in the future has aroused apprehension. An increased demand of food in developing economies, instability in fuel prices, climate change, and a transition to biofuel production have all contributed to the trend of escalating food prices. These exorbitant prices in turn engender childhood malnutrition, as around one-third of all child deaths are ascribed to this. According to the World Bank, we need to produce at least 50 percent more food to cater to a population of 9 billion people by 2050, but at this rate, that is something far from attainable. Essentially, this global food crisis jeopardizes the fate of the human race.
My solution to this issue implements our new understanding of biofuels and the danger they bring. First, biofuel production is attributable to around 30 percent of the spike in global commodity prices, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute. Previously thought of as an innocuous energy alternative, biofuels from crops such as corn have spurred a shift in the agriculture sector, as farmers have now focused more on producing crops for fuel rather than for food. By limiting the cultivation of crops for biofuels, attention can once again be diverted towards yielding food, a scenario that will lower food prices as well. Even though biofuels constitute a sizable portion of the world’s energy supply, there are various energy alternatives and frankly, we may not have any choice if our intention is to save the human race.
In order to achieve popular support needed to implement my solution, I would organize grassroots movements and potentially reach out to NGOs in an attempt to spread awareness about the dangers of biofuels. Similarly, I would try to contact several state officials, and propose a steady decrease in the production of biofuels in New Jersey. Hopefully, if my solution is feasible at a state level, the movement can extend to the rest of the United States and the world.
Aayush Goradia
Hillsborough