Re: SV: SV: [OPE] The genocidal implications of biofuels

From: glevy@pratt.edu
Date: Mon Jul 07 2008 - 14:04:39 EDT


>> Two understand how income is distributed in the Third World, one
needs to 
> look secondly at the micro level, and relate this to
whether or not the 
> country in question is a net exporter or
importer. 


Hi Martin:

You have to loook
at many questions on the micro level including
which crops are being
used for biofuels. For instance, corn (a major
US food export) is
used for ehanol.  What about rice?  It's the rise in
the 
price of rice on domestic markets in East Asian countries
which has
caused the most social turmoil.   Is the land
that was used for growing rice 
and selling it domestically now
being used for growing other crops for
export? I sincerely doubt
it  for several reasons including  the fact  the rice
paddys 
are generally unsuitable for growing many other
crops.   The rice producers 
are almost certainly
affected by increasing fuel prices, though, and the increased 
costs of production could drive marginal producers out of the
market.  Let's 
not forget that in
many countries,  a large proportion of urban inhabitants
were 
originally peasants or agricultural workers who fled
the countryside because of 
rural mass poverty.  

In solidarity, Jerry







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