Stand: Mai 2008� 2008 Schroedel, Braunschweig

EnglischSkyrocketing food prices

A global food shortage is threatening the lives of millions.
Around the world, rising food prices have made basic stap-
les like rice and corn unaffordable for many people, pushing
the poor to the barricades because they can no longer
get enough to eat. Most people in the world�s wealthiest
countries take food for granted. Even the poorest fifth of
households in the United States spend only 16 percent of
their budget on food. In many other countries, it is less of
a given. Nigerian families spend 73 percent of their bud-
gets to eat, Vietnamese 65 percent, Indonesian half. They
are in trouble. Last year, the food import bill of developing
countries rose by 25 percent as food prices rose to levels not
seen in a generation. Corn has doubled in price over the last
two years. Wheat prices have risen by 130 percent since
March of last year, and soy prices have risen by 87 percent.
The international price of rice � a staple food for half the
world � has risen about 68 percent since the beginning of
the year. In general, the World Bank has said that food pri-
ces have climbed about 83 percent worldwide over the past
three years. Many countries have imposed price controls on
food or taxes on agricultural exports.
What caused the price rises?
The rise in the price of commodity crops such as wheat can
be put down to a number of factors: bad weather; unpre-
cedented high prices for oil and transportation; damage to
agricultural production caused by global warming; higher
demand for grain to feed livestock in China, where incre-
asing affluence means more people want to eat meat; a
3-year long drought in Australia, meaning it has had to
import wheat; several countries stopping grain exports to
secure the food of their own population; speculators see-
ing a chance to make money; the sudden extra demand for
food crops such as maize for use in biofuels, in both Europe
and the United States. This has caused over twenty percent
of corn and rapeseed production in developed countries to
be diverted away from food. The United States has been
criticized for forcing through the use of biofuels, especial-
ly corn-based ethanol, as a way to reduce oil consumpti-
on and to keep corn prices high for farmers. But the same
prices that are good for farmers are causing shortages in
basic grains used for food in the developing world. A spe-
cial report by the United Nations about the right to food
calls biofuels �a crime against humanity� because they raise
global food prices. Prices are unlikely to drop soon. The UN
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says world cereal
stocks this year will be the lowest since 1982.
Unrest and violence
The rising price of food is already sparking unrest from Haiti
to Egypt. In their desperate daily struggle for survival, many
are unable to feed their families and the hungry have taken
to the streets. The President of the World Bank warned
that exploding food prices threaten to cause instability in
at least 33 countries, including regional powers like Egypt,
Indonesia and Pakistan, where the army has had to be
brought in to protect flour transports. There has been unrest
in recent weeks in Mauritania, Mozambique, Senegal, the
Ivory Coast and Cameroon, where the violence has already
claimed about 100 lives. The global food crisis is a �silent
tsunami� with an extra 100 million people facing poverty,
the UN said. �This is the new face of hunger � the milli-
ons of people who were not in the urgent hunger category
six months ago, but now are,� said the head of the United
Nations World Food Programme (WFP). In the past, supply
bottlenecks were limited by region, and they affected the
poorest of the poor. Now, for the first time, the crisis has hit
many countries at the same time, increasing competition for
food and raising world market prices.
Vocabulary: staples � Grundnahrungsmittel; unaffordable �
unbezahlbar; take s.th. for granted � etw. f�r selbstver-
st�ndlich halten; wheat � Weizen; soy � Soja; commodity
crops � Rohstoffe; affluence � Wohlstand; drought � D�rre;
consumption � Verbrauch; grain � Korn; cereal � Getreide;
spark � ausl�sen, entfachen; desperate � verzweifelt; thre-
aten � drohen; flour � Mehl; unrest � Unruhen; violence �
Gewalt; supply bottle neck � Versorgungsengpass; competi-
tion � Wettbewerb.
1. Why are the developing countries mostly affected by the global food crisis
(M1)?
2. Which role does biofuel play in the enormous increase of food prices (M2)?
3. Describe and explain the cartoon (M3).
4. Why are unrest and violence a result of the exploding food prices (M4)?
5. The UN called the global food crisis a �silent tsunami�. Can you explain this
image (M4)?
M1
M2
M3
M4
Food Crisis around the World
Stand: Mai 2008� 2008 Schroedel, Braunschweig
EnglischSkyrocketing food prices
A global food shortage is threatening the lives of millions.
Around the world, rising food prices have made basic stap-
les like rice and corn unaffordable for many people, pushing
the poor to the barricades because they can no longer
get enough to eat. Most people in the world�s wealthiest
countries take food for granted. Even the poorest fifth of
households in the United States spend only 16 percent of
their budget on food. In many other countries, it is less of
a given. Nigerian families spend 73 percent of their bud-
gets to eat, Vietnamese 65 percent, Indonesian half. They
are in trouble. Last year, the food import bill of developing
countries rose by 25 percent as food prices rose to levels not
seen in a generation. Corn has doubled in price over the last
two years. Wheat prices have risen by 130 percent since
March of last year, and soy prices have risen by 87 percent.
The international price of rice � a staple food for half the
world � has risen about 68 percent since the beginning of
the year. In general, the World Bank has said that food pri-
ces have climbed about 83 percent worldwide over the past
three years. Many countries have imposed price controls on
food or taxes on agricultural exports.
What caused the price rises?
The rise in the price of commodity crops such as wheat can
be put down to a number of factors: bad weather; unpre-
cedented high prices for oil and transportation; damage to
agricultural production caused by global warming; higher
demand for grain to feed livestock in China, where incre-
asing affluence means more people want to eat meat; a
3-year long drought in Australia, meaning it has had to
import wheat; several countries stopping grain exports to
secure the food of their own population; speculators see-
ing a chance to make money; the sudden extra demand for
food crops such as maize for use in biofuels, in both Europe
and the United States. This has caused over twenty percent
of corn and rapeseed production in developed countries to
be diverted away from food. The United States has been
criticized for forcing through the use of biofuels, especial-
ly corn-based ethanol, as a way to reduce oil consumpti-
on and to keep corn prices high for farmers. But the same
prices that are good for farmers are causing shortages in
basic grains used for food in the developing world. A spe-
cial report by the United Nations about the right to food
calls biofuels �a crime against humanity� because they raise
global food prices. Prices are unlikely to drop soon. The UN
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says world cereal
stocks this year will be the lowest since 1982.
Unrest and violence
The rising price of food is already sparking unrest from Haiti
to Egypt. In their desperate daily struggle for survival, many
are unable to feed their families and the hungry have taken
to the streets. The President of the World Bank warned
that exploding food prices threaten to cause instability in
at least 33 countries, including regional powers like Egypt,
Indonesia and Pakistan, where the army has had to be
brought in to protect flour transports. There has been unrest
in recent weeks in Mauritania, Mozambique, Senegal, the
Ivory Coast and Cameroon, where the violence has already
claimed about 100 lives. The global food crisis is a �silent
tsunami� with an extra 100 million people facing poverty,
the UN said. �This is the new face of hunger � the milli-
ons of people who were not in the urgent hunger category
six months ago, but now are,� said the head of the United
Nations World Food Programme (WFP). In the past, supply
bottlenecks were limited by region, and they affected the
poorest of the poor. Now, for the first time, the crisis has hit
many countries at the same time, increasing competition for
food and raising world market prices.
Vocabulary: staples � Grundnahrungsmittel; unaffordable �
unbezahlbar; take s.th. for granted � etw. f�r selbstver-
st�ndlich halten; wheat � Weizen; soy � Soja; commodity
crops � Rohstoffe; affluence � Wohlstand; drought � D�rre;
consumption � Verbrauch; grain � Korn; cereal � Getreide;
spark � ausl�sen, entfachen; desperate � verzweifelt; thre-
aten � drohen; flour � Mehl; unrest � Unruhen; violence �
Gewalt; supply bottle neck � Versorgungsengpass; competi-
tion � Wettbewerb.
1. Why are the developing countries mostly affected by the global food crisis
(M1)?
2. Which role does biofuel play in the enormous increase of food prices (M2)?
3. Describe and explain the cartoon (M3).
4. Why are unrest and violence a result of the exploding food prices (M4)?
5. The UN called the global food crisis a �silent tsunami�. Can you explain this
image (M4)?
M1
M2
M3
M4
Food Crisis around the World
Stand: Mai 2008� 2008 Schroedel, Braunschweig
EnglischDidaktische und methodische Hinweise
Zur Veranschaulichung und weiteren Konkretisierung der
Aussagen des Arbeitsblattes k�nnen Sie die Grafi k �Going
Hungry � consequences of the food crisis� (erster der wei-
terf�hrenden Links) hinzuziehen und von den Sch�lerinnen
und Sch�lern beschreiben und auswerten lassen. Das darin
abgebildete Diagramm stellt den Preisanstieg bei den Agrar-
produkten Reis und Weizen vom Jahr 2000 bis heute dar.
Der in der �berschrift von M1 vorkommende Ausdruck
�skyrocketing� in Bezug auf die Lebensmittelpreise wird in
der Abbildung durch die steil ansteigende Kurve deutlich
sichtbar. Dar�ber hinaus lokalisiert die Illustration die aus der
Lebensmittelkrise hervorgegangenen Unruhen und Proteste
auf der Landkarte. Exportbeschr�nkungen bis hin zu totalen
Exportstopps werden ebenfalls anschaulich dargestellt und
regional eingeordnet.
Nach der Bearbeitung des Blattes k�nnen die Sch�lerinnen
und Sch�ler als weiterf�hrende Aufgabenstellung in kleinen
Gruppen ein Szenario zu einem vorher gemeinsam festge-
legten Zeitpunkt in der Zukunft erarbeiten. Folgende oder
�hnliche Fragen, die an der Tafel festgehalten werden, k�n-
nen dabei als Denkanst��e dienen:
� What will the food situation look like in the year �?
� Will there be a solution to the global shortages?
� What sort of solution may that be?
� Will the crisis be overcome or will it have become
worse?
Der zu erstellende Text kann dabei entweder ein Gespr�ch
oder ein kurzer Erz�hltext sein.
L�sungshinweise zum Arbeitsblatt
Aufgabe 1: In the developed countries people take food
for granted. They spend only a small part of their budget,
mostly under twenty percent, on food. In the developing
countries on the other hand, people spend the biggest
part of the little money they have on food. The worldwi-
de exploding food prices mean they have to spend all their
money on food, or even worse, can�t afford the food they
need any more. Not only the high prices, but also the glo-
bal shortages put the poor in a desperate situation because
there is no longer enough food available for all.
Aufgabe 2: The production of biofuel contributes consider-
ably to the global food shortage because the land that is
used for growing the crops needed for biofuel is taken away
from that for food. Ethanol is made of pure corn and takes
that precious food staple away from the poor. In a way, bio-
fuel is starving the developing world.
Aufgabe 3: In the picture you can see a man standing car-
elessly at a petrol station. He is filling the petrol tank of his
car with bio-fuel that consists of pure grain. You can read
the slogan �Go green� on the front of the car. In the back-
ground there are two hungry men with an empty bowl
asking for food. From their clothing you can see that they
are from Africa and Asia. The car driver looks at them pee-
vishly. He does not even bother to turn around. He has
no time for their problems because he is �busy saving the
world�. The cartoonist puts a lot of irony into the man�s
words because he is actually filling their food into his tank.
Moreover, he is totally unaware of the problems the pro-
duction of this sort of fuel cause. He feels like a hero saving
the world by the use of biofuel and totally ignores the main
problem: Every single piece of corn used for this sort of fuel
is taken away from food production. It leads to a dramatic
global food shortage and is partly responsible for the explo-
ding food prices.
Aufgabe 4: As a consequence of the exploding food prices,
basic staples like rice and corn have become unaffordable
for a great number of poor people. This desperate situation
pushes them on the barricades because they can no longer
get enough to eat. What starts as violent unrests threatens
the stability of the countries and may easily develop into a
warlike situation.
Aufgabe 5: A tsunami is a natural disaster that has terrible
consequences and can mean the death of a large number of
people. The global food crisis is compared to such a catas-
trophe because it also takes on alarming proportions. This
�tsunami� is called �silent� because many people are not
aware of the danger that is threatening to overrun them like
a gigantic wave.
Weiterf�hrende Links
Going hungry � consequences of the food crisis
Stand: Mai 2008� 2008 Schroedel, Braunschweig
EnglischDidaktische und methodische Hinweise
Zur Veranschaulichung und weiteren Konkretisierung der
Aussagen des Arbeitsblattes k�nnen Sie die Grafi k �Going
Hungry � consequences of the food crisis� (erster der wei-
terf�hrenden Links) hinzuziehen und von den Sch�lerinnen
und Sch�lern beschreiben und auswerten lassen. Das darin
abgebildete Diagramm stellt den Preisanstieg bei den Agrar-
produkten Reis und Weizen vom Jahr 2000 bis heute dar.
Der in der �berschrift von M1 vorkommende Ausdruck
�skyrocketing� in Bezug auf die Lebensmittelpreise wird in
der Abbildung durch die steil ansteigende Kurve deutlich
sichtbar. Dar�ber hinaus lokalisiert die Illustration die aus der
Lebensmittelkrise hervorgegangenen Unruhen und Proteste
auf der Landkarte. Exportbeschr�nkungen bis hin zu totalen
Exportstopps werden ebenfalls anschaulich dargestellt und
regional eingeordnet.
Nach der Bearbeitung des Blattes k�nnen die Sch�lerinnen
und Sch�ler als weiterf�hrende Aufgabenstellung in kleinen
Gruppen ein Szenario zu einem vorher gemeinsam festge-
legten Zeitpunkt in der Zukunft erarbeiten. Folgende oder
�hnliche Fragen, die an der Tafel festgehalten werden, k�n-
nen dabei als Denkanst��e dienen:
� What will the food situation look like in the year �?
� Will there be a solution to the global shortages?
� What sort of solution may that be?
� Will the crisis be overcome or will it have become
worse?
Der zu erstellende Text kann dabei entweder ein Gespr�ch
oder ein kurzer Erz�hltext sein.
L�sungshinweise zum Arbeitsblatt
Aufgabe 1: In the developed countries people take food
for granted. They spend only a small part of their budget,
mostly under twenty percent, on food. In the developing
countries on the other hand, people spend the biggest
part of the little money they have on food. The worldwi-
de exploding food prices mean they have to spend all their
money on food, or even worse, can�t afford the food they
need any more. Not only the high prices, but also the glo-
bal shortages put the poor in a desperate situation because
there is no longer enough food available for all.
Aufgabe 2: The production of biofuel contributes consider-
ably to the global food shortage because the land that is
used for growing the crops needed for biofuel is taken away
from that for food. Ethanol is made of pure corn and takes
that precious food staple away from the poor. In a way, bio-
fuel is starving the developing world.
Aufgabe 3: In the picture you can see a man standing car-
elessly at a petrol station. He is filling the petrol tank of his
car with bio-fuel that consists of pure grain. You can read
the slogan �Go green� on the front of the car. In the back-
ground there are two hungry men with an empty bowl
asking for food. From their clothing you can see that they
are from Africa and Asia. The car driver looks at them pee-
vishly. He does not even bother to turn around. He has
no time for their problems because he is �busy saving the
world�. The cartoonist puts a lot of irony into the man�s
words because he is actually filling their food into his tank.
Moreover, he is totally unaware of the problems the pro-
duction of this sort of fuel cause. He feels like a hero saving
the world by the use of biofuel and totally ignores the main
problem: Every single piece of corn used for this sort of fuel
is taken away from food production. It leads to a dramatic
global food shortage and is partly responsible for the explo-
ding food prices.
Aufgabe 4: As a consequence of the exploding food prices,
basic staples like rice and corn have become unaffordable
for a great number of poor people. This desperate situation
pushes them on the barricades because they can no longer
get enough to eat. What starts as violent unrests threatens
the stability of the countries and may easily develop into a
warlike situation.
Aufgabe 5: A tsunami is a natural disaster that has terrible
consequences and can mean the death of a large number of
people. The global food crisis is compared to such a catas-
trophe because it also takes on alarming proportions. This
�tsunami� is called �silent� because many people are not
aware of the danger that is threatening to overrun them like
a gigantic wave.
Weiterf�hrende Links
Going hungry � consequences of the food crisis
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/
0,1518,grossbild-1149977-547198,00.htmlThe struggle to satisfy China�s and India�s
hunger
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/
0,1518,550943,00.htmlThe daily struggle for food
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/
0,1518,548300,00.htmlCan genetic crops stop the food crisis?
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/
0,1518,549136,00.htmlL�sungsblatt
Food Crisis around the World