Is America Headed for a Food Shortage?

A new study suggests that ethanol production could drive up corn prices, leaving U.S. grains and meat in short supply

By Dawn Stover Posted 06.07.2007 at 1:00 am 7 Comments

by tlindenbaum tlindenbaum

Ethanol is a renewable, homegrown fuel that can help lower U.S. dependence on foreign oil. But as more and more ethanol is made from corn, less and less corn is available for food production, and that´s causing some unforeseen problems.

Corn is a mainstay of American agriculture- it´s an important ingredient in cereals and baked goods, and corn syrup is used to make processed foods like candy, chips and soft drinks. But most importantly, corn is the major source of food for cattle, pigs, turkeys and chickens that are headed for the dinner table.

A recent study conducted by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at Iowa State University (which receives funding from grocery manufacturers and livestock producers) reported that U.S. ethanol production could consume more than half of U.S. corn, wheat and coarse grains by 2012, driving up food prices and causing shortages. The study estimates that booming ethanol production has already raised U.S. food prices by $47 per person annually. In Mexico, protests have already erupted over the high price of corn tortillas, a staple food in the local diet.

Planting more corn is one solution, but that means planting less of other crops that are also widely used in foods, such as soybeans and wheat. Tilling fallow land could create more growing space for corn, but might lead to soil erosion and impacts on wildlife habitats.

According to a December 2006 study by the International Food Policy Research Institute, producing enough ethanol to fuel all of the world´s vehicles would require five times more corn than is planted today and 15 times as much sugar cane.

A more promising solution is to make ethanol from cellulose instead of starches and sugars-using plants such as switchgrass and organic waste instead of corn and sugarcane. This would also reduce greenhouse gas emissions much more effectively than making ethanol from corn.

Growing switchgrass in large quantities would probably require taking some other crops out of production, which would create challenges for farmers. The more attractive alternative is to make ethanol from waste materials such as leftovers from logging and paper mills. However, cellulosic ethanol is not expected to become economically competitive with corn-based ethanol until scientists can develop enzymes that are more efficient at breaking down woody plants. The federal government is funding research aimed at making cellulosic ethanol commercially viable, but many technical issues still need to be worked out.

For now, whether corn is used to make food or fuel depends on economic factors such as the fluctuating price of oil. When oil prices are high, demand for ethanol goes up. That helps keep your costs down at the pump, but you may pay more for steak and corn chips.

Could a boom in corn-based ethanol mean trouble for our favorite beverages as well? Find out on the PopSci blog

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7 Comments

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ALITL8

02/25/08 at 2:48 pm

Using a food source for fuel? Are we insane? I "could be" growing fuel in my back yard (5 acres) without the use of pesticides and with many more uses (i.e. fuel, fiber, paper, food, medicine and more)!

We could have made this decision back in the early 1900's, Back when Global Oil and Dupont, the Pharmaceutical, Cotton, Lumber, Alcohol, Tobacco companies and International Banking firms decided to back policies in government to KILL the "First of it's Kind", BILLION DOLLAR CROP.

Wake up!
http://www.jackherer.com/chapters.html

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erbroens

04/25/08 at 1:27 pm

I can´t see any problem in the use of biofuels.. well, almost. The only problem I see is the pressure that the big oil industry is facing.. so It is easy to understand why we are seeing propaganda against the ethanol, or anything that didn´t come from the oil wells.

By the way, just take a look at Google earth to se how little area of our beautiful planet have crops... not to mention that there is a lot of food in the sea, as long the supertankers stop spilling petroleum on it!

So I think that America as well the World has a opportunity to get rid of the stupid dependence on petroleum, and substitute it with a clean, feasible (take a look at the Brazilian example) and renewable font of energy..and my wake up call is for not worry about food shortage caused by biofuels, but for political and economic issues.

Enrique Broens

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MrECKS

06/03/08 at 4:19 pm

anyone who thinks taking are farm produce and turning into fuel is crazy! global market and world hunger! grow bio-diessle from alge! cheaper cleaner and better! no need to waist valuable farm land as far as i know

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sccrtel

07/10/08 at 2:47 am

What if we ran out of this type of gas? Then we would run out of corn!(or have a major shortage) I do not think this is the best way to fuel the cars of the future.

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supergrover

07/30/08 at 5:00 pm

i have an idea:

1. grow switchgrass in back yards. people could get extra money buy selling it, and there's no need for decreasing the land used for other stuff.

2. burn it. chop it up real fine and it _might_ be able to be used instead of coal in coal electric plants.

3. use electric cars. batteries are getting more powerful, and smaller. or use airtanks instead. cars powered by air fill up quickly and are not dangerous.

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elwood1100

09/27/08 at 4:33 pm

If everybody is so worried about the effect using corn to relieve the fuel problem why don't we go back to what our forefathers did. grow hemp, the uses of hemp on the positive side far outweigh the reasons for not using. hemp is the only plant that puts nutrients back into the earth, every other plant takes away. henry ford built his engines to run on hemp fuel, he even built parts of his autos from the use of hemp. farmers are losing money from what they grow, let them grow hemp and everyone will profit. no more taking corn for fuel let the corn go to where it would help, like the food industry. hemp makes a much better paper than wood so let the trees grow.

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elwood1100

09/27/08 at 4:37 pm