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 Are we about to see a massive rice shortage in Asia? Thailand and Vietnam, the two largest rice exporters in the world, are facing severe drought conditions that are severely threatening this year's rice crops and global rice supplies. Rice is one of the key "staple foods" in eastern nations, so a serious disruption in the supply of rice could be a major problem. Thankfully, many crops in the western world (such as wheat) are doing very well so far this year, so hopefully this potential rice shortage will not hurt too much, but it never hurts to put away some extra rice in your emergency food supply. After all, you don't start preparing for a storm once it has already arrived. You start preparing when you see the first storm clouds forming on the horizon.
In Vietnam, this severe drought is shaping up to be the worst in a hundred years. The truth is that there has been very little rainfall across the entire nation since last September. Over half of Vietnam's estimated 44 million person workforce is involved in agriculture, so if this drought continues much longer it is going to be a horrific disaster.
The drought is also extremely severe in Thailand. Thailand accounts for approximately one-third of all global rice exports, and analysts are now forecasting a decline of at least one million tons for this year.
That is bad news, but hopefully world food supplies will not be impacted that severely. However, a few more body blows like this and we could start looking at a global food crisis.
 While you will never hear about it on the mainstream news, and while we can all walk into supermarkets and buy as much food as we want right now, the truth is that a massive global food shortage is coming. In fact, many scientists are now convinced that a horrific world famine is absolutely inevitable. Why? Well, as we will see below, it is a combination of things. World population is exploding at the same time that overfarming, overfishing and environmental degradation are all starting to catch up with us. The truth is that now is the time to start preparing. Now is the time to build up an emergency food supply. Now is the time to begin storing up food. Because a food shortage that is so horrible that most of us cannot even imagine it is on the way, and when it hits it is going to be incredibly painful.
It is now being projected that global demand for food will more than double over the next 50 years. Right now there are over 6 billion people on earth. Around 2040 or so there will be 9 billion people on earth. By the 2060s, there would be over 11 billion people on earth. So where in the world are we going to get the food to feed all of those people?
A global food shortage is coming. There is no possible way that the world can produce enough food for that many people under the current system.
Already 1 billion people in the world go to bed hungry every single night.
Already somewhere in the world someone starves to death every 3.6 seconds and 3/4 of them are children under the age of 5.
Already approximately a third of all children in the world under the age of five suffer from serious malnutrition.
And the bad news is that the world simply does not have enough water to grow much more food.
Just consider the following quote from IWMI director general Colin Chartres....
"Current estimates indicate that we will not have enough water to feed ourselves in 25 years time, by when the current food crisis may turn into a perpetual crisis."
Not only that, but because of overfarming and pollution, we are rapidly losing farm land. Today almost 25% of the world’s farm land is affected by serious environmental degradation. That is up from 15% two decades ago.
In some of the biggest countries in the world the environmental situation is absolutely nightmarish.
For example, it is estimated by authorities that 75 percent of India's surface water is contaminated by human and agricultural waste. The truth is that there is over a billion people in India, but sanitation is still only just starting to be developed in many areas. So many people there just "use the toilet" wherever they can. In fact, according to a UN study on sanitation, far more people in India have access to a mobile phone than to a toilet.
But it just isn't places like India where rampant environmental degradation is a problem.
It is happening in the United States too.
It turns out that many big American cattle farms actually feed chicken manure to cattle because it is so inexpensive and because we produce far too much of it to properly dispose of as fertilizer.
So are you eating beef that is from cattle that were fed chicken manure every day?
How would you know?
Not only that, but the world cannot get much more food out of the oceans either. 29 percent of world fisheries are in a state of collapse according to Canadian scientist Boris Worm, and in the years ahead the world fishing industry may actually produce less food rather than more food.
But much more food will be needed in the years ahead.
The really sad thing is that we waste so much food right now. In developed countries we throw away anywhere from one-third to one-half of all food produced.
Considering the fact that so many people in the world are suffering from a lack of food, that is absolutely criminal.
In the years ahead we won't be wasting that much food. That is for certain. We will look back on these days when there was plenty of food with longing. These are still good times. Even though the world economy is starting to spin out of control, the truth is that we haven't seen anything yet. A devastating world economic collapse is on the way, and a global food shortage will follow shortly thereafter.
Are you ready?
 While many world leaders have been wringing their hands about global warming, the truth is that the global deep freeze now ravaging North America, Europe and Asia is the biggest problem for agriculture right now. In fact, many analysts are now predicting that agricultural losses due to the unusually cold winter will lead to huge spikes in the price of food and massive food shortages in many areas of the world in 2010.
So just what has been so bad about the winter of 2009/2010?
The truth is that for many areas of the northern hemisphere, it has been the most brutal winter in decades. Record-setting cold temperatures and devastating winter storms have been sweeping North America, Europe and Asia with no apparent end in sight. In fact, 877 snowfall records were set or tied in the United States in just one week in December alone.
At one point, 50 percent of the U.S. was already covered in snow in December. That is extremely unusual for so early in the winter.
But things are not any better in Europe. The death toll from brutal winter storms across Europe has risen to at least 80 people, as arctic temperatures and heavy snow continue to plague the continent.
Asia is feeling the effects of this harsh winter as well. More than 30 people died in cold-weather related incidents in Northern India recently in just one 24 hour period. Record setting snowfalls have been plaguing China and South Korea as well.
So what does all of this brutal winter weather mean for agricultural production?
Problems.
Big problems.
The U.K. has been experiencing the worst winter that they have seen in decades, and the extended cold temperatures there are absolutely destroying agricultural production in many areas as the Guardian recently reported....
"Sub-zero temperatures have made it impossible to extract some vegetables from the ground. Producers of brussels sprouts and cabbages are all reporting problems with harvesting. Cauliflowers are said to have turned to mush in the sustained frost."
In fact, the Guardian is reporting that the prices for some types of produce have already begun to spike in many areas....
"Greengrocers in some of the worst-hit areas are reporting shortages, with the price of carrots and parsnips reportedly rising by 30% in some small shops."
The unusually cold temperatures are having a particularly harsh impact on areas that are not accustomed to seeing below freezing temperatures. For example, citrus crops throughout the state of Florida have been absolutely destroyed in many areas by the recent string of cold weather.
The New York Times describes the situation there this way....
"This was not the standard winter chill. For nearly two weeks, the Sunshine State felt like a meat locker with record lows north and south. Economists said the total cost to agriculture alone could reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars, adding another bruise to Florida’s beaten-down economy."
So what will the weather in Florida mean to our food bills?
The agriculture expert quoted by the New York Times was very grim in his assessment....
"Tomatoes were down around $14 for a 25-pound box; now they are up over $20," said Gene McAvoy, an agriculture expert with the University Florida, who predicted $100 million in vegetable losses. "Peppers — just after New Years they were $8 a box; now they’re up around $18."
This all comes at a time when a U.S. government report is revealing that the nation's farmers planted the fewest winter wheat acres in any season since 1913. According to the report from the Department of Agriculture, the total acres of winter wheat planted for 2010 is 37.1 million acres, which is down 14 percent nationwide from last year.
So what does all of this mean?
It means that there is going to be a lot less food grown.
A basic law of economics is that when supply goes down, prices go up.
That is exactly what is going to happen.
All over the world agriculture is being devastated this winter, and that is going to result in higher food prices all over the globe.
There will even be food shortages in many areas of the world.
So exactly how bad are things going to get?
Well, nobody knows for sure yet, but food isn't going to get any cheaper.
You might want to run out and buy a few extra (or a few dozen extra) cans of vegetables.
 According to the most recently released data, it looks like food prices will experience a dramatic increase in 2010. For example, a new Bloomberg survey of importers, exporters and analysts indicates that the price of rice may experience a 63 percent increase in the coming year. Not only that, the U.S. government is projecting that the price of nonfat dry milk could jump by up to 39 percent in 2010. In addition, JPMorgan Chase is forecasting a 25 percent rise in the price of sugar.
So what does all of this mean?
Just think about how many foods contain either rice, milk or sugar.
If the price increases that are projected by these experts hold up, that means that all food products that contain rice, milk or sugar will dramatically increase in 2010.
For families on a budget (or that are already breaking their budgets) that is really, really bad news.
The truth is that hard times are coming.
In fact, they are almost here.
There is a reason why millions of people are building up an emergency food supply.
Unfortunately, for millions in developing nations already on the edge of starvation, building up a supply of emergency food is not an option.
So what is going to happen to them when food prices skyrocket in 2010?
What is going to happen is that we will probably see more food riots like we did in 2008.
In fact, they may be far worse than 2008.
Don't let your family be caught unprepared. Now is the time to get ready for 2010.
 Most people have no idea that the a large portion of the food that they eat each day has been genetically modified. In fact, over the past decade it has been nothing short of a revolution. Today 93 percent of soybeans and 80 percent of corn in the U.S. grow from seeds genetically altered according to Monsanto company patents. But is it a good revolution? Is it a positive thing for one corporation to control such a high percentage of the seeds? Are there reasons to believe that genetically modifying our food could be harmful to all of us?
The truth is that as Monsanto has gained an increasing market share in the seed market, prices for the Monsanto-patented genetically modified seeds have steadily increased. In fact, those prices have approxmiately doubled over the past decade.
Competitors of Monsanto claim that they have "ruthlessly" stifled competition in the seed industry. They want the government to consider antitrust action against Monsanto.
But they are not the only ones who are upset.
Many farmers are fed up with Monsanto's ruthless use of litigation. All over the United States, the wind is carrying Monsanto's genetically altered seeds into neighboring fields. Monsanto regularly sends out investigators to visit farms and to test whether any Monsanto strains have shown up on those farms. If they have, then Monsanto proceeds to sue the living daylights out of those farmers.
Other activists are concerned about the environmental impact that Monsanto is having.
You see, once genetically modified crops are released into the environment it is virtually impossible to ever contain or recall them. Insects, birds, and the wind easily carry genetically modified seeds into neighboring fields and beyond. Pollen from genetically modified plants ends up cross-pollinating with natural crops and wild relatives. In fact once this becomes widespread enough, the natural crops can be bred into extinction.
You can't put the genie back in the bottle.
Has it been wise for the U.S. government to allow so many bizarre genetically modified crops to be released into the environment especially when the long-term health and environmental impacts of these crops are not known?
The truth is that many natural health experts claim that there is a growing body of evidence that genetically modified foods have a link to food allergies, intestinal damage, autoimmune disorders, anemia, diabetes, infertility and even cancer. Independent scientific studies done on the effects of genetically modified have produced some incredibly troubling results.
However, independent scientists and even government officials that have dared to question the safety of genetically modified foods have been harrassed, threatened and in some cases even fired. Someone out there wants to make sure that only one side of the genetically modified food debate is told to the public.
With billions of dollars in profits to be made, it certainly would be inconvenient for the truth about genetically modified food to get out to the American public. The reality is that the monumental greed of the "mega corporations" that we have created is going to end up killing a lot of people.
If these genetically modified crops start failing or find themselves more susceptible to crop diseases than natural versions could we end up with a massive food emergency on our hands? If it does eventually come out that some of the massive increases in disease that we are seeing this decade are due to genetically modified foods, what will that do to the demand for organic seeds?
There are a lot of unanswered questions like that. Many people are becoming increasingly aware of genetically modified crops and are wishing to avoid them, but the reality is that they are virtually everywhere and they are found in an increasing number of food products so it is almost impossible to completely avoid them.
It is tougher than ever for those of us who seek to eat right and to live an organic lifestyle. Hopefully someone in Washington D.C. will wake up before it is too late.
 Devastating droughts of historic magnitude all over the globe are setting the stage for an unthinkable worldwide famine, and even as you read this millions of people in the third world are literally starving to death and desperate for even one meal. Whether it is in India, Africa, Australia, Texas or California, the lack of rain in key areas around the world is causing havoc on global agriculture, and the prospect of an unprecedented food emergency is now way too real to ignore. The reality is that the world food supply was barely keeping up with global demand in the good years, and now that the weather is crippling harvests all over the world it has become clear that there is simply not going to be enough food for everyone in 2010.
So just how bad are things around the world?
*India has announced that it has suffered its worst drought in 37 years, with total rainfall 23 percent below average at the end of that nation's four-month monsoon season. Approximately 65 percent of India's farms are unirrigated and depend on rainfall during the monsoon season, so the lack of rainfall is hitting those farmers particularly hard.
*In east Africa things are even worse. The drought there has reached its fifth year, and it is estimated that 23 million Africans in that region are on the verge of starvation. In a statement, Paul Smith Lomas, Oxfam's East Africa Director said this about the situation: "This is the worst humanitarian crisis Oxfam has seen in east Africa for over ten years."
*The drought in Australia has gotten so bad that it is being called the new "dust bowl" and a recent dust storm in Sydney was so severe that it actually turned the sky red.
*In Texas, farmers and ranchers are desperately hoping for rain as the extreme drought has cost the agricultural sector billions of dollars.
*The water crisis has gotten so bad in California that the Obama administration has urged California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to call state lawmakers into a special session just to deal with it.
*Saudi Arabia had been producing enough wheat to be self-sufficient for over 20 years, but in 2008 they realized that the non-replenishable aquifer they had been pumping for irrigation purposes was nearly depleted. So in response that nation decided to reduce their wheat harvest by one-eighth every year. Wheat production there is scheduled to cease entirely in 2016. After that they will be importing all of the wheat that their entire nation depends upon.
So what does all of this mean?
It means two things.
#1) The world is running out of water.
#2) The world is running out of food.
If things don't turn around dramatically very, very soon millions of people are going to starve. There simply will not be enough food to feed everyone.
Those who are able to buy food for their families will notice much higher food prices. That is what happens when demand continues to go up while supply drops like a rock.
Even in our technologically advanced society, extreme drought means famine.
We are facing a true global food emergency. The world demand for food is going to be much higher than the world supply of food in 2010. Not everyone is going to make it.
Are you ready?
 A "perfect storm" of circumstances is coming together that is leading many agriculture experts to predict that we will soon be experiencing a worldwide food crisis of unprecedented magnitude. Will 2010 be the year that the world runs out of food? Record setting droughts, exploding populations and crippling crop failures all over the world are combining to set the stage for a potentially devastating food crisis in the coming year.
Even in such technologically advanced times, the reality is that the food supply is not immune to droughts and plagues. Even the United States has been dramatically affected. Just consider the following examples.....
*All time record breaking heat and drought continues to plague the state of Texas. In fact, extreme drought conditions can be found in many agricultural areas throughout the United States this summer.
*If the drought conditions were not bad enough, a disease known as "late blight" is absolutely devastating tomato and potato plants in the eastern half of the United States. The prices for those two staple foods could shoot through the roof, hitting already hurting American consumers really hard.
*In addition, farmers all over the United States are reporting very disappointing harvests. For example, the very weak wheat harvest this year is seriously disappointing farmers across the state of Illinois.
But it is not just the U.S. that is experiencing serious agricultural problems. In fact, the news from the rest of the world is even more troubling.
*Agricultural scientists fear that Ug99, a devastating wheat fungus also known as stem rust, could wipe out over 80 percent of the world's wheat crop as it spreads out from Africa.
*Harvests all across the globe are frighteningly low. Just check out the following troubling reports from the Market Skeptics blog.....
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1) Bulgaria harvest will be around 20% lower than last season's output.
2) Argentine farmers will plant just 2.6 million hectares of winter wheat for the 2009/10 season, a stunning 2.1 million less than was planted in 2008/09 (down nearly 45%).
3) Part of the reason behind lower plantings is a two fingered salute to the government and their export restrictions.
4) Brazil, the world's third largest wheat importer, bought 51,000 MT of US wheat last week, more than it bought in the entire first six months of the year.
5) With the Brazilian real strengthening against the dollar, Brazilian millers that are being forced to look for supplies are finding US wheat fitting the bill quite nicely.
6) Canadian crop development lags with 60% of winter grains are behind normal development. Spring grains development is even further behind, with 75% of crops affected.
7) Ukraine will only produce 35 MMT of grain this season, 35 percent less than last year.
8 ) 3.3 million hectares of the Russia’s spring crops have been badly damaged by drought. Production this year is seen lower at around 55-60 MMT from 63.7 MMT in 2008.
9) Sugar hit it's highest in three years last week.
10) The lack of monsoon rains in northern India was the main driver of the rally in sugar. World demand is outstripping supply by over six million tonnes at the moment, and India is set to potentially become the world's largest importer this year.
11) Spanish wheat output is now projected 32% lower this year at 3.8 MMT.
12) Rain is damaging crops in the UK and across Europe.
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When you add up all of the recent agricultural news stories it means one thing: a massive food crisis is on the way.
Harvests around the world are going to be much smaller at a time when world demand for food is at an all-time high.
In other words, there are going to be food shortages.
Very serious food shortages.
Are you all starting to get the point.
In just a few months, the world is going to have a lot less food than what it needs. When people around the world find that they can't feed their families, there will likely be food riots that will make the food riots of 2008 look like a walk in the park.
In the United States, there will not be shortages of food - at least at first. But what this will mean is that there will be dramatic price increases at the supermarket.
Are you ready?
Now is the time to ensure that you and your family are prepared for the food crisis that is ahead.
We encourage you to take advantage of the low prices on emergency food that are out there right now while you still can:
http://theemergencyfoodsupply.com/emergency-food
 Doesn't it seem as though there are more crop diseases than ever popping up in 2009? The latest crisis is a disease known as "late blight", and it is absolutely devastating tomato and potato plants in the eastern half of the United States.
As if tomatoes were not expensive enough already.....
Most Americans have never even heard of "late blight", but it actually has a long history. Late blight is the disease that is blamed for the Irish potato famine of the 1840s, and now it is seemingly back with a vengeance.
A stunning press release from Cornell University is warning gardeners and commercial farmers that late blight is hitting the eastern United States with a ferocity that has never been seen before.
Meg McGrath, an associate professor of plant pathology and plant-microbe biology at Cornell says that "late blight has never occurred this early and this widespread in the U.S."
So how do you know if your plants have late blight?
Well, one symptom that you want to look for is ugly brown spots on the stems of your plants.
As those spots get larger, white fungal growth starts to develop until a soft rot totally collapses the stem.
If you think that you have late blight, authorities are encouraging you to destroy all of those plants.
With the Ug99 wheat rust already out of control, and with this "late blight" hitting the tomato and potato crops really hard, it looks like food prices are going to rise and there may even be shortages. Now is the time to ensure that you and your family have built an adequate emergency food supply.
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