Challenging the ag journalists attending the Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum to think about global food security differently was Gawain Kripke, Director of Policy & Research, Oxfam America. He started his presentation by saying that he would bring up some provocative ideas and he did. For example, he says Oxfam wants an end to “excessive” speculation in commodity markets, for investors to move to small scale food producers and says our food system is “broken.” I didn’t hear how this would be accomplished. What’s the incentive for speculators and investors? Part of the theme of his talk was to think beyond yield growth. However, increasing yield has to be part of the solution to world hunger does it not? I do agree with comments made during yesterday’s session about the need to find a way to better distribute food, especially to the poor. Not sure that because we have that problem it means our food system is broken. What do you think? Take our current ZimmPoll on this very question too!
You can listen to Gawain’s here: Gawain Kripke Remarks