Check the graph and you'll know whether we need to panic or not. To be frank, it's not all about human reaction, which is helplessly driven by overall global market scenario, healthy or otherwise, it's about incredible number of mouths we've to feed and the pressure generated thereafter. But, we're doing little to contain it. Also, people who're blaming the economic miracle in countries like China and India too are not clear of the exact reason behind it. We run the markets, we drive the economies, and we've enough reasons to panic because we're too late. Damn speculators...

We just can’t stop panicking, but let’s check out for solutions rather than wasting time bringing out a more refined definition of the price rise and the impacts. The major culprit is the faulty global food distribution system. Get it right and things will be even. All food that the rich countries dump because they are not able to protect it from the fungus in their godowns should be timely distributed. And how long will the world food program and other agencies will keep spending millions of dollars in devastated countries just to write reports and neglect major economies?

Panicking won’t help. Let’s stop pointing fingers to anyone and blaming what has happened. We need solutions and not merely complaining about the wrong policies of many governments.

By saving at least an hour of not using room lighting (electricity) has a major impact in the conservation of energy. Proper dumping of garbage will help. Simple ways need to start now to augment international means of protecting our environment. Tree planting is a good way to start with.

Price rise is a natural phenomenon. The fact that we’re never in a mood to welcome it…is a different question altogether. When GM foods come to rescue, there is a hullabaloo…just can’t get things right that way…never! Fish can go down, but we can certainly sustain even double the existing population. No need to panic at all. It’s a simple demand and supply situation. Demand is rising, supply is low – the world wheat stocks are at 30 year low. How can you expect the prices to remain stable? Dollar is declining. Market forces can be reconciled by fitting domestic policies. Feed used to grow animals is eating up lot of land that can be used to grow food for millions. I’m with the advocates of free market. Prolonged unnecessary aid and subsidies is actually making a big dent on markets. And another major aspect is production increase. It’s the best time for farmers to become entrepreneurs. What say?

Not necessarily. Even if we do panic, it sounds a little far-fetched, when we are not directly affected or atleast until we realise that we are in a way victims as well and for the poor, those lack even the basic necessity, this situation is quite the same(irrespective of before and after).

The trigger is already pulled and the reaction, both in media and the riots in Haiti and other parts of the world proves it. The drivers of world economy don’t have enough time to keep the calm, rather we should take aggressive decisions before things go awry. We never know, what people with empty stomachs can really do – and don’t ask about a mob. Who’ll fill up the $500 million funding gap WFP is running short of?

There is utter chaos. If one blames climate change for the problem, there are scientists who are adamant to prove that global warming is a myth. No one actually knows the exact reasons behind the global recession. We were never ready to take the shock waves the shrinking US economy is sending right now. The whole thing gonna last for another 10 years or so. What about Africa? 80 million people, the UN food program caters to, soon gonna come to the streets. No choice left. The poor will starve and the rich will ignore it. Let's not talk about Africa right now. The world has already failed the black continent. We're paying for giving industrialization precedence over agriculture.

Much bigger is on the way. Get ready for the new age great depression. (And farmers are rejoicing…)

I would rather blame the blind race among the developed nations for the development of Industries before the climate change factor. The industrial giants started killing agriculture sector in the second half of 20th century to grab the land from farmers and to make those farmers as workers in industrial units than working as farmers on lands. And the result is open to all. the world is heading towards a food crisis like never before.

Have you gone crazy, where is the question of panic? Why do we need to panic if we don't get rice, wheat and maize to cook and eat at cheaper price because we have lost the habit to ear cooked food. We have MacDonald's, we can have burgers, can drink coca Cola and Pepsi, there are so many varieties of junk foods available in such outlets all across the world. LOL

i think this surely is the time we start panicking coz if we don't, we gonna die of starvation with less food stocks in stores what else can we do. i can't go around telling people that hey there's nothing wrong with the food stocks, its just that our govt has started to worry about food shortages and it will be OK in a matter of days.

for many people who don't know why we are facing this, let me take the stance...Our govt is trying to fight Climate change that is bringing down the crops and productivity, and it's not something that they started fighting just a couple of months ago...after brooding on things for many years trying negotiate a consent in different summits either to blame China/US or India for the huge cracks in those polar icecaps they never got to any reasonable solution. however, it was always predictable that we are getting close to this.

i think we have run outa time and energy to take these blunders from govt. Its time we panic

Here is an interesting take in Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System. Is it all because of globalization? Or should we blame it on the booming biofuel economy? No one has the answers. The free trade agenda pushed by the US lured countries who wanted to encash fast and now they're finding themselves trapped in it. And US is fretting about rising obesity. What a pity.

No government is taking care of the farmers and agriculture in the country all across the globe. The farmers, particularly in developing countries are feeling the heat of global food scarcity and crisis. The rate of agriculture items should be linked with salaries of parliamentarians, alchol price, prices of cigarettes, fuel, gas, electricity and milk, bread, butter at the supermarket. the commercialization of food items should be done by farmers.

We just cannot blame farmers for the looming food crisis. Greedy big multinationals, corporations and governments searching for a quick solution to the energy problem should be blamed for this crisis. Several environmental groups had warned them and showed them a picture of the result of climate change, biodiversity and ignorance of agricultural lands. Now People's right to food is being violated in almost every part of the world. There is an urgent need to overhaul the food production system to guarantees food security for all.

Everyone on earth wants to have quality foods and timely foods like an American in USA. If we want to take similar foods and in similar fashion, we will need to have another two or three earths to grow that much food crops.

The global price of wheat has gone doubled in past quarter century. The production subsidies to Scottish farmers were scrapped some four years back, No farming community and the government have made profit in world agriculture in past 10 years. This is why they didn't invest funds in Agricultural Research & development or technology development for food production.

Who says there is scarcity of food in the world. There are enough foods to feed each and every one living on the earth. I don't see any food crisis. We have the capabilities to feed the world. BUT it doesn't happen because the major corporation, who control the bulk of the world's food wealth, doesn't allow this to occur. They attacked and destroyed who does not serve in their interest. Is there any fuel crisis in the world?

Let me give you the best idea to end the food crisis in the world. We should eliminate about two billion useless eaters, mostly living in the eastern hemisphere. We can start the 'project thinning' from the countries like China and India, where more than 2.5 billion people live. We should liquidate 2-2.5 billion Asians, Americans, Africans, Australians, to change the shape of planet.

I have heard somewhere on Internet that at least 28 million tons of food are binned per year in the UK. It happens because it becomes out of date to sell. It becomes not good enough to sell in supermarkets. It is wrong to say that these foods are not edible but people in UK rejects it.

Nice debate going on here, hey folks, just cool down, there is no food crisis at all. Control population in your countries and you would see the impact in years. Don't create an epidemic of anxiety by discussing it as crisis.

Stop talking about climate change and linking it with food crisis. Global warming does not mean that the whole world gets warmer all of a sudden. Some spots on the earth get warmer and create climate change for a particular region. Don't blame climate change for the recent 'food crisis'.

Though curbs on bio-fuels cultivation and increased productivity are essential the present shortage is largely due to unprecedented bad weather in Australia and the USA. Next year will be better.