The Fight Against Food Shortages and Surpluses Perspectives of a Practitioner

The price of food commodities - such as wheat, corn and rice - is unstable. It can suddenly shoot up, making food unaffordable for millions of people around the world, bringing hunger and famine. A shortage may be due to bad weather or to a human pandemic which disrupts the food system. The other side of the volatility coin is a grain surplus - too much grain on the market. A grain surplus can cause food prices to rapidly fall, wiping out the profits of farming families and jeopardising their livelihoods. The whole world would be better off if commodity prices were more stable. Authored by an agricultural economist with thirty years of practical experience in farm policy, this book will assist governments in the design of their food and agricultural policies. Requiring no prior knowledge of economics, it is essential reading for students, researchers and policy makers in the areas of economics, international and sustainable development, agriculture, and food security.