The Indian rice export ban, the war in Ukraine and El Niño are combining to create a "doom loop" for the world's poorest people, as staple food prices soar.

The Indian rice export ban, the war in Ukraine and El Niño are combining to create a “doom loop” for the world’s poorest people, as staple food prices soar.

  • tallwookie@lemmy.worldEnglish
    7127·
    vor 1 Jahr

    so eat something else? if you’re reliant on a grain crop that you cant even grow yourself, you’ve never had food security. plenty of other grain crops that are cheaper to grow than rice (which requires a massive amount of water). those pictures of people that live in arid environments means they’re not growing rice, ever

      • tallwookie@lemmy.worldEnglish
        13·
        vor 1 Jahr

        perhaps. i’d argue that it really is that simple. for decades, many countries in areas that are well known, historically, for having famines have been importing most/all of their food because the food was available for export by other countries that are very good at growing things & they had excess. now those countries have stopped or drastically curtailed exports. the end result is that the famine countries cannot buy their way out of famine - and now the population isnt just a few hundred thousand but tens of millions.

    • ProvableGecko@lemmy.world
      321·
      vor 1 Jahr

      if you’re reliant on a grain crop that you cant even grow yourself, you’ve never had food security.

      I guess I’ll die

    • AnonTwo@kbin.social
      171·
      vor 1 Jahr

      Maybe those cheaper crops aren’t readily available to them? It does say it will mainly hit the poorest people…

    • pingveno@lemmy.mlEnglish
      71·
      vor 1 Jahr

      so eat something else?

      Agreed, but this is going to require changes by governments. Certain crops often get subsidies, whether they’re the best option or not. There are healthier grains that can stand up better to climate change than rice. Many governments are so stuck into subsidizing specifically rice that they have backed themselves into a corner with a thirst crop that isn’t all that nutrient dense. And unwinding those subsides is unpopular, even if it’s ultimately the right thing to do.

    • nodsocket@lemmy.world
      24·
      vor 1 Jahr

      Most rice in the world is poisoned by pollutants anyway. Since rice grows in water it collects arsenic from pesticides and when you eat it regularly it puts you at risk for a wide variety of arsenic related diseases. Ironically, the rice with the least amount of nutrients (white rice) also has the lowest arsenic levels.