Southeast Asia Globe is member-supported publication featuring in-depth journalism that promotes a more informed, inclusive and sustainable future. Members work with our team to shape our editorial direction and hold us accountable.
Experts warn the world is entering an era of permanent food crisis that will hit the poor hardest and spark social unrest. Ill-prepared and exposed to the elements, Southeast Asia remains particularly vulnerable
South East Asia Globe
October 4, 2012
Experts warn the world is entering an era of permanent food crisis that will hit the poor hardest and spark social unrest. Ill-prepared and exposed to the elements, Southeast Asia remains particularly vulnerable
Southeast Asia need only journey back one year to see the devastating power of extreme weather. Unprecedented floodwaters besieged much of the region during 2011’s monsoon season, killing hundreds and wiping out 1.6m hectares of standing crop in Thailand alone. The all out weather assault on rice fields across Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam prompted fears of food shortages and spiralling food prices. However, as extreme weather patterns intensify, experts warn that food security concerns will increasingly become a reality in Southeast Asia. Photo: Pongmanat Tasiri/ dpa Parched land: climate change increases the odds of extreme weather patterns which can affect food supplies
The region depends heavily on food imports, a vulnerability that caused much angst during the 2008 wheat crisis, when stockpiles in the US hit a 60-year low, sparking a dramatic increase in world food prices. The crisis saw rice prices surge 149% – a worrying figure considering Oxfam estimates that with every 1% increase in the price of food, another 16 million people go hungry. The high cost of food triggered riots and unrest in some of the world’s poorest countries, which blamed export restrictions, trade barriers, slowing production at a time when demand is high, bad weather and hoarding for the devastating effect on world food prices.
While the crisis eventually waned, global food prices are slowly increasing thanks to climate change, depleting natural resources, a global scramble for land and water, the rush to turn food into biofuels, a growing global population and changing diets. Oxfam recently predicted that staple food prices will double by 2030, with the poor bearing the brunt of inflated prices.
The impact of climate change is estimated to account for only a third of this expected cost increase. The power behind the price punch lies in extreme weather, which can cause sudden price spikes. According to the World Bank, the recent US drought prompted a 10% increase in global food prices in July, with maize prices jumping by at least 25%.
While much of the world’s rice is produced and consumed in Southeast Asia, the region is no stranger to flooding and typhoons that damage crop supplies, producing volatile food prices. As experts warn the world is entering into a long-term period of food crisis, will Southeast Asia defend itself against extreme weather or remain at its mercy?
