Why is it increasingly difficult for the West to feed itself?

10 июля 2022
One can only guess as to what program the Western world adheres to and whether there is one at all. Sanctions rhetoric and political arrogance have led to a natural result and have brought cold showers down on the heads of Europeans. However, this very shower is also on the schedule today. And there are also empty shelves and saving, saving, saving on everything from water, gasoline and food to other mooreeffoc. Yet, the inflation has slowed down a bit in some countries. But only because it's summertime - the need for heating, for example, in Europe, is greatly reduced,  moreover that the Europeans are not deprived of warm weather. It would seem to be the best time for the planned cultivation of the fields. But it's not that simple. The phrase "food security" continues to be uttered from high podiums with a touch of concern. Why is it increasingly difficult for the West to feed itself? Andrei Semchenko will tell you.

Sanctioned hunger

The topic of food has become really hot in recent weeks. And in every sense of the word. Climate change has taken its toll on crops in all parts of the world. The abnormal heat wave did not leave Europe either. The drought has hit Italy hard.

Italy 

The ground was cracked, looking more like a Martian landscape, and the crops were rotten. Rome hasn't seen an agricultural disaster like this in a long time. The River Po, the one that runs through Turin, is completely dry. This is something Italians haven't seen in the last 70 years. According to the most conservative estimates, the anomaly will cause three billion euros of damage to the country. Artists use dead fields as canvases for their actions. There's not much else the barren land is good for this season. There is little hope for saving coolness and moisture in the coming months. 

The results of the first summer month are deplorable. In the Piedmont region, at least half of all rice crops have simply burned out because of the drought.

Giuliano Conti, farmer:

"The amount of water on the field has been reduced by 80-90%. Usually at this time of year the water level reached 10 centimeters in the flood meadows. But we haven't had rain in over 20 days. We expect a very severe reduction in rice production, if not even a complete reduction. 

The drought has affected many EU states in one way or another: reservoirs are emptying in Portugal, and forests are burning in Spain and Germany. In France, the vineyards are withering. The problem of climate adversity is being discussed at the level of the European Commission. True, when it comes to real challenges within the association, there is nothing but statements of fact. 

Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner: 

"Heat waves are among the deadliest disaster risks in Europe. They affect the most vulnerable people, and at the same time, the most difficult situations tend to pose the greatest risk. Statistics show that since 2017, we have witnessed the worst wildfires ever seen in Europe. Unfortunately, we expect the 2022 wildfire season may follow this trend."

Waldemar Gerdt, member of the 19th Bundestag:

Not a single decision that has been made in the last 16 years, and Angela Merkel is no exception, leads to an increase in the welfare of her people, but is in fact subordinated to the interests of another state. How could you question Nord Stream, a country that grew up on cheap energy, when its entire economy is based on it as a foundation. Now we have come to the point where, for the first time in 30 years, we have an external trade deficit, i.e., we are buying much more than we are selling. And does it take a college degree in economics to foresee that?  The decisions were made that killed our economy, sanctions were introduced that ripped out our huge market and deprived us of energy supplies. The fertilizer sanctions that will deprive us of next year's crop Are these people who love their country, their people? Your President is right, there is no one to talk to.

Politicians themselves also play a role in creating the food crisis. By refusing to listen to their own farmers and lobbying for their own interests, European authorities faced an unprecedented wave of farmer protests. 

Netherlands

Dutch farmers are again warning the authorities: the protests will continue. We feel the support of millions of people. For days now, 40,000 desperate farmers have been protesting over rising fertilizer and fuel prices that will bankrupt many farms. They are blocking the border with Germany, airports, ports, highways, supermarkets and distribution centers. The police pack up the most active ones. 

Protester:

"We came here to free our colleague, a young farmer who was nearly killed by a bullet fired by a police officer. He protested to save his business. They had no right to arrest him!"

At the same time, the democratic press urges the equally liberal authorities, quote, to show that "the monopoly on violence belongs to the state." And the blocking of highways does not arouse any sympathy at all. Neither do the police officers, who are not averse to the use of firearms. 

The quiet irritation of the authorities can be explained very simply. In supermarkets, food has begun to disappear from the shelves. Logistical disruptions and boycotts of government measures hit, of course, the ordinary citizens. However, the harsh repression of peaceful protest is not new to pseudo-advocates of human rights: in Britain, for example, the police have been ordered to manifest zero tolerance for demonstrators who speak out against rising fuel prices. 

Poland

The flywheel has been started, and now the Italians, Germans and Poles have taken to the streets, following the example of the Netherlands. In Warsaw, striking farmers marched through central streets to the parliament building, blocking traffic on the city's main roads. Agrarians and cattle breeders chant "Law and Justice" has betrayed us!" They mean rising inflation, insufficient support for the agricultural sector, and even corruption at the international level. 

Michal Kołodziejczak, protest organizer:

 "Today the food market in Poland is very much destabilized by uncontrolled food imports from abroad. There are potatoes from France, from Germany, as well as grain from Ukraine, which was only supposed to go through Poland. But our crooks wanted to make money on it. Instead of sending it on to Africa and Arab countries, the government left the grain in Poland. This hits national producers, and in the fall, farmers will not have enough money for regular work. 

FAO, however, notes a decrease in the food price index. In this case, it should be understood, the situation is still strikingly different from, for example, the same period last year. The average value of the index in June was 154.2 points - it got 4 points lower than in May. As compared to 2021, it's still almost 30 points up. After the global neurosis around grains, the focus is shifting to meat and dairy products. Under the conditions of geopolitical instability, one should certainly not expect a sharp decline in the value of the already-strategic goods on the world market.