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Seeds of Hunger
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- Citation
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- Transcript
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Today more than three billion people worldwide suffer from malnutrition, including one billion who are starving. The current global economic crisis has created food shortages, skyrocketing prices, and food riots in some countries. With the world of agriculture confronting the impact of such factors as global warming, population urbanization trends, changes in eating habits, and increased use of grains for biofuels, SEEDS OF HUNGER outlines the shape of an impending global food crisis.
Filmed in Africa, China, Latin America and the U.S., SEEDS OF HUNGER examines issues involved in creating such a crisis, including the politics of food security and scarcity, declining food production and the need for increased production to meet population growth, the impact of genetically modified foods, water shortages, famine, food aid programs, the loss of crop land, and national food production, distribution and export policies.
These and other issues are explored in interviews with farmers, financial analysts and food buyers and importers worldwide, as well as Maryam Rahmanian of the Centre for Sustainable Development and Environment, Bruno Parmentier, Director of the Ecole Superieure d'Agriculture, Zhang Shihuang of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Lester Brown, President of the Earth Policy Institute, Marc Dufumier, researcher for AgroParisTech, Amani Elobeid of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, and Stefan Tangermann of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
***-1/2 'A powerful look at a timely and important topic, this is highly recommended.' - Video Librarian
'Serious. Educational. A very good lesson in geography and social economy.' -Telerama
'A remarkable documentary.' -Le Monde
'Attractive and useful film that can be effectively utilized as a teaching tool in courses on economic development and international economic relations.' -Leonardo Reviews
Citation
Main credits
Billy, Yves (film producer)
Billy, Yves (narrator)
Prost, Richard (film director)
Leonard, Peter (narrator)
Roumette, Sylvain (narrator)
Other credits
Camera and sound, Richard Prost, Philippe Costantini; editor, Sabine Franel; musical supervisor, Serge Kochyne.
Distributor subjects
Africa; Agriculture; Asia; Business and Economics; China; Development; Economics; Environment; Food; Food and Hunger; Globalization; Sustainability; TradeKeywords
food and hunger; food and hunger; global; food; crisis; food production; shortage; hunger; China; Argentina; usa; biofuel; gmo; soy; genetically modified; pesticides; famine; environment; water; agriculture; livestock; consumption; farming; development; documentary; film; video; DVD; "Seeds of Hunger"; Icarus Films; ,doc,env,food; science
WEBVTT
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[MUSIC PLAYING]
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Skyrocketing food prices have
sparked riots across the globe.
00:00:31.420 --> 00:00:36.389 align:middle line:84%
In 2007, we witnessed unrest in
Mexico, Dakar, Honduras, Haiti,
00:00:36.389 --> 00:00:38.180 align:middle line:84%
and in southern countries
around the world.
00:00:38.180 --> 00:00:42.370 align:middle line:90%
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Since the summer of 2008, the
prices of corn, soy, and grain
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have plummeted.
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But when the prices of
these essential foods
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spike again, as
they will, there\'s
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concern there will be
more riots and unrest.
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The threat of famine and
increasing food shortages
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is not simply going to go away.
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[SPEAKING FRENCH]
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The first riots broke
out in early 2007
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with what was called
the Tortilla Crisis.
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Mexico\'s staple corn tortilla
suddenly cost more than
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what the average
consumer could afford.
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Throughout the world,
the soaring prices
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of agricultural commodities
would spark further uprisings.
00:02:05.645 --> 00:02:09.060 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
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In June 2008, the FAO,
the United Nations\' Food
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and Agriculture Organization,
called an emergency summit
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on international food security.
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In parallel to the
debates, vehement dissent
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was voiced over the
farm subsidy policies,
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and at impoverished
farmers in poor countries,
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and the biofuel production
programs of the world\'s
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richer countries.
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[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
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We\'re really, really
dismayed, and I can even
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say more strongly disgusted,
to see that the food crisis is
00:02:53.310 --> 00:02:56.150 align:middle line:84%
being used to further
advance the policies that
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have led us to the food crisis.
00:02:57.860 --> 00:03:02.260 align:middle line:84%
We also have new mechanisms
like agrofuels, new genetically
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modified organisms,
which will only
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further the problem by pushing
small farmers into debt
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and by robbing them of their
resources, especially land
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and water.
00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:15.980 align:middle line:84%
Continuing with the
agriculture industrial model
00:03:15.980 --> 00:03:18.980 align:middle line:84%
is the end of our
world, not only of
00:03:18.980 --> 00:03:23.280 align:middle line:84%
the people who are
dying, but for everybody.
00:03:23.280 --> 00:03:25.340 align:middle line:84%
The average European
eats 80 kilos
00:03:25.340 --> 00:03:30.410 align:middle line:84%
of meat per year, a North
American, 120 kilos, an Indian,
00:03:30.410 --> 00:03:32.330 align:middle line:90%
about two or three.
00:03:32.330 --> 00:03:34.110 align:middle line:84%
How much do these
Somalis, protesting
00:03:34.110 --> 00:03:37.260 align:middle line:84%
in the streets of Mogadishu
and fleeing the police, eat?
00:03:37.260 --> 00:03:42.127 align:middle line:84%
What we\'re witnessing today
is quite simply a food crisis.
00:03:42.127 --> 00:03:43.960 align:middle line:84%
However, it\'s not the
first time the world\'s
00:03:43.960 --> 00:03:45.930 align:middle line:84%
been confronted with
the challenge of feeding
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a billion hungry people,
including some 130 million
00:03:48.990 --> 00:03:54.860 align:middle line:90%
more in 2007 and 2008 alone.
00:03:54.860 --> 00:03:56.680 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FRENCH]
00:03:56.680 --> 00:04:16.449 align:middle line:90%
00:04:16.449 --> 00:04:19.872 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:04:19.872 --> 00:04:27.710 align:middle line:90%
00:04:27.710 --> 00:04:31.455 align:middle line:84%
In 2007, world food
stocks hit a 30 year low,
00:04:31.455 --> 00:04:34.920 align:middle line:84%
with just 45 days
of reserves in hand.
00:04:34.920 --> 00:04:37.810 align:middle line:84%
This scarcity, due to
several ongoing factors
00:04:37.810 --> 00:04:41.230 align:middle line:84%
over the past few years, led
to a spike in prices, which
00:04:41.230 --> 00:04:44.570 align:middle line:84%
was further exacerbated by
the world commodities markets,
00:04:44.570 --> 00:04:47.430 align:middle line:84%
and in particular, their
benchmark, the Chicago
00:04:47.430 --> 00:04:48.310 align:middle line:90%
Mercantile Exchange.
00:04:48.310 --> 00:04:51.658 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
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Many factors have come together
to push grain prices sharply
00:05:03.050 --> 00:05:05.740 align:middle line:90%
higher over the last year or so.
00:05:05.740 --> 00:05:06.705 align:middle line:90%
First, weather.
00:05:06.705 --> 00:05:10.210 align:middle line:84%
We\'ve had weather
problems around the world.
00:05:10.210 --> 00:05:14.970 align:middle line:84%
For example, Australia,
the last two years in a row
00:05:14.970 --> 00:05:17.756 align:middle line:84%
their wheat production
has been cut in half.
00:05:17.756 --> 00:05:19.880 align:middle line:84%
Around the world there\'s
been some weather problems
00:05:19.880 --> 00:05:21.700 align:middle line:84%
that has helped
push prices higher.
00:05:21.700 --> 00:05:26.400 align:middle line:84%
Another reason has been
increased speculative demand.
00:05:26.400 --> 00:05:30.070 align:middle line:84%
More and more speculators have
come into the grain market.
00:05:30.070 --> 00:05:32.820 align:middle line:84%
They\'ve come into all
the commodities markets,
00:05:32.820 --> 00:05:34.245 align:middle line:84%
and that\'s helped
push up prices.
00:05:34.245 --> 00:05:40.830 align:middle line:90%
00:05:40.830 --> 00:05:42.550 align:middle line:84%
Even though prices
have now fallen
00:05:42.550 --> 00:05:44.580 align:middle line:84%
due to the current
financial crisis,
00:05:44.580 --> 00:05:47.610 align:middle line:84%
demonstrating once more the
volatility of the markets,
00:05:47.610 --> 00:05:49.450 align:middle line:84%
the structural reasons
for ongoing food
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insecurity persists.
00:05:51.040 --> 00:05:52.550 align:middle line:90%
And protectionism is reemerging.
00:05:52.550 --> 00:05:57.260 align:middle line:90%
00:05:57.260 --> 00:06:00.900 align:middle line:84%
This is an entirely new
sort of manifestation
00:06:00.900 --> 00:06:03.710 align:middle line:84%
of the growing food
insecurity in the world.
00:06:03.710 --> 00:06:07.510 align:middle line:84%
And I see it as an emerging
politics of food scarcity.
00:06:07.510 --> 00:06:11.350 align:middle line:84%
And what concerns me
is the possibility
00:06:11.350 --> 00:06:16.700 align:middle line:84%
that the countries that
are most able-- either more
00:06:16.700 --> 00:06:22.060 align:middle line:84%
affluent or more
influential-- the more able
00:06:22.060 --> 00:06:25.180 align:middle line:84%
among the importing
countries will begin tying up
00:06:25.180 --> 00:06:29.290 align:middle line:84%
exportable supplies of grain
until there\'s very little
00:06:29.290 --> 00:06:33.240 align:middle line:84%
free trade in world grain
left for other countries
00:06:33.240 --> 00:06:35.610 align:middle line:90%
to go to to find grain.
00:06:35.610 --> 00:06:40.200 align:middle line:90%
[SCREAMING]
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The countries that bear the
full brunt of spiraling prices
00:06:42.900 --> 00:06:47.800 align:middle line:84%
and market scarcity are those
of the southern hemisphere.
00:06:47.800 --> 00:06:50.040 align:middle line:84%
Yet they are also worst
hit by the consequences
00:06:50.040 --> 00:06:51.610 align:middle line:90%
of global warming.
00:06:51.610 --> 00:06:53.930 align:middle line:84%
A rise of one degree
Celsius in Africa
00:06:53.930 --> 00:06:56.963 align:middle line:84%
equals a 10% drop
in grain harvests.
00:06:56.963 --> 00:06:59.861 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
00:06:59.861 --> 00:07:01.310 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FRENCH]
00:07:01.310 --> 00:07:04.691 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:07:04.691 --> 00:07:10.990 align:middle line:90%
00:07:10.990 --> 00:07:13.480 align:middle line:84%
Sub-Saharan Africa was
one of the worst victims
00:07:13.480 --> 00:07:15.475 align:middle line:84%
of the international
grain market boom.
00:07:15.475 --> 00:07:18.590 align:middle line:84%
And climate change has further
weakened its agricultural base.
00:07:18.590 --> 00:07:22.690 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
00:07:22.690 --> 00:07:25.240 align:middle line:84%
Of the billion malnourished
people in the world,
00:07:25.240 --> 00:07:27.770 align:middle line:84%
Africa alone accounts
for almost 300 million.
00:07:27.770 --> 00:07:33.630 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
00:07:33.630 --> 00:07:35.530 align:middle line:84%
Failing budgets often
lead governments
00:07:35.530 --> 00:07:37.170 align:middle line:84%
to adopt strategies
of single crop
00:07:37.170 --> 00:07:40.120 align:middle line:90%
farming, which favor exports.
00:07:40.120 --> 00:07:43.340 align:middle line:84%
But given the incoherency of
agricultural policies and food
00:07:43.340 --> 00:07:46.010 align:middle line:84%
policies, the first
to suffer from hunger
00:07:46.010 --> 00:07:48.255 align:middle line:84%
are the small
farmers themselves.
00:07:48.255 --> 00:07:52.215 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
00:07:52.215 --> 00:07:53.700 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
00:07:53.700 --> 00:07:56.240 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
00:07:56.240 --> 00:08:05.460 align:middle line:90%
00:08:05.460 --> 00:08:08.490 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
00:08:08.490 --> 00:08:36.549 align:middle line:90%
00:08:36.549 --> 00:08:38.940 align:middle line:90%
[COW MOOING]
00:08:38.940 --> 00:08:40.199 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FRENCH]
00:08:40.199 --> 00:09:00.772 align:middle line:90%
00:09:00.772 --> 00:09:04.540 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
00:09:04.540 --> 00:09:07.840 align:middle line:90%
00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:09.050 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FRENCH]
00:09:09.050 --> 00:09:37.850 align:middle line:90%
00:09:37.850 --> 00:09:39.270 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FRENCH]
00:09:39.270 --> 00:10:09.985 align:middle line:90%
00:10:09.985 --> 00:10:13.977 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:10:13.977 --> 00:10:16.980 align:middle line:90%
00:10:16.980 --> 00:10:19.410 align:middle line:84%
The race between population
growth and the need
00:10:19.410 --> 00:10:21.510 align:middle line:84%
for increased
agricultural production
00:10:21.510 --> 00:10:23.000 align:middle line:84%
is not just
particular to Africa.
00:10:23.000 --> 00:10:28.720 align:middle line:90%
00:10:28.720 --> 00:10:32.510 align:middle line:84%
On the other side of the world,
China, for different reasons,
00:10:32.510 --> 00:10:35.410 align:middle line:84%
is also facing an explosive
and paradoxical situation.
00:10:35.410 --> 00:10:43.210 align:middle line:90%
00:10:43.210 --> 00:10:46.940 align:middle line:84%
China, the largest producer
of rice, wheat, meat, fruit,
00:10:46.940 --> 00:10:48.825 align:middle line:84%
and vegetables in
the world, must
00:10:48.825 --> 00:10:51.390 align:middle line:84%
feed a quarter of the
planet with only 7%
00:10:51.390 --> 00:10:54.002 align:middle line:84%
of the world\'s farmland
and less than 10%
00:10:54.002 --> 00:10:54.960 align:middle line:90%
of its water resources.
00:10:54.960 --> 00:10:59.590 align:middle line:90%
00:10:59.590 --> 00:11:02.690 align:middle line:84%
China is far from achieving
food self-sufficiency,
00:11:02.690 --> 00:11:04.830 align:middle line:84%
in particular because
of its new needs
00:11:04.830 --> 00:11:08.540 align:middle line:84%
and lifestyle habits due
to its economic boom.
00:11:08.540 --> 00:11:11.350 align:middle line:84%
And at the bottom of the
pyramid is the Chinese farmer.
00:11:11.350 --> 00:11:18.020 align:middle line:90%
00:11:18.020 --> 00:11:19.660 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FRENCH]
00:11:19.660 --> 00:12:02.840 align:middle line:90%
00:12:02.840 --> 00:12:05.610 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:12:05.610 --> 00:12:35.700 align:middle line:90%
00:12:35.700 --> 00:12:40.290 align:middle line:84%
What I think is now happening
is that especially because
00:12:40.290 --> 00:12:45.900 align:middle line:84%
of the over pumping in China
to expand its irrigation
00:12:45.900 --> 00:12:48.380 align:middle line:84%
and remain
self-sufficient in grain,
00:12:48.380 --> 00:12:50.980 align:middle line:84%
it has been depleting
the aquifers,
00:12:50.980 --> 00:12:54.290 align:middle line:84%
importantly under the
North China Plain.
00:12:54.290 --> 00:12:57.880 align:middle line:84%
There are, under the North
China Plain, two aquifers.
00:12:57.880 --> 00:12:59.810 align:middle line:84%
The so-called shallow
aquifer, which
00:12:59.810 --> 00:13:01.740 align:middle line:90%
is a replenishable aquifer.
00:13:01.740 --> 00:13:04.360 align:middle line:90%
It recharges from rainfall.
00:13:04.360 --> 00:13:07.130 align:middle line:84%
Then there\'s the deep
aquifer, which is essentially
00:13:07.130 --> 00:13:10.670 align:middle line:84%
a fossil aquifer, that
is it does not recharge.
00:13:10.670 --> 00:13:13.640 align:middle line:84%
The Chinese have largely
depleted the shallow aquifer,
00:13:13.640 --> 00:13:15.970 align:middle line:84%
and they\'re now pumping
from the deep aquifer.
00:13:15.970 --> 00:13:18.570 align:middle line:84%
But when that\'s
gone, then the amount
00:13:18.570 --> 00:13:23.030 align:middle line:84%
of irrigation water in China
will drop precipitously.
00:13:23.030 --> 00:13:27.040 align:middle line:84%
And as that happens, and we\'re
just on the edge of that now,
00:13:27.040 --> 00:13:28.570 align:middle line:84%
China will have to
turn to the world
00:13:28.570 --> 00:13:32.100 align:middle line:90%
for large imports of grain.
00:13:32.100 --> 00:13:34.190 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:13:34.190 --> 00:14:07.335 align:middle line:90%
00:14:07.335 --> 00:14:10.800 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:14:10.800 --> 00:14:19.720 align:middle line:90%
00:14:19.720 --> 00:14:23.880 align:middle line:84%
In China, as in India or Africa,
the poverty of the countryside
00:14:23.880 --> 00:14:27.190 align:middle line:84%
is what gives the
city its allure.
00:14:27.190 --> 00:14:30.080 align:middle line:84%
95% of the world\'s
urban growth comes
00:14:30.080 --> 00:14:32.730 align:middle line:84%
from developing countries,
where hardship, coupled
00:14:32.730 --> 00:14:34.940 align:middle line:84%
with chronic food
scarcity, continues
00:14:34.940 --> 00:14:37.720 align:middle line:84%
to swell the number of migrants
drawn to the city lights.
00:14:37.720 --> 00:14:39.172 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:14:39.172 --> 00:14:40.624 align:middle line:90%
[CAR HONKING]
00:14:40.624 --> 00:14:45.950 align:middle line:90%
00:14:45.950 --> 00:14:49.980 align:middle line:84%
Under Mao, China was
pretty much immobile.
00:14:49.980 --> 00:14:53.360 align:middle line:84%
But over the past 20
years, 300 million people,
00:14:53.360 --> 00:14:55.490 align:middle line:84%
the equivalent of the
entire population of Europe,
00:14:55.490 --> 00:14:57.191 align:middle line:84%
have left the country
for the cities.
00:14:57.191 --> 00:14:57.816 align:middle line:90%
[TRAIN PASSING]
00:14:57.816 --> 00:15:01.082 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:15:01.082 --> 00:15:11.470 align:middle line:90%
00:15:11.470 --> 00:15:12.800 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FRENCH]
00:15:12.800 --> 00:15:33.470 align:middle line:90%
00:15:33.470 --> 00:15:34.780 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:15:34.780 --> 00:16:07.900 align:middle line:90%
00:16:07.900 --> 00:16:09.720 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:16:09.720 --> 00:16:17.380 align:middle line:90%
00:16:17.380 --> 00:16:20.260 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:16:20.260 --> 00:16:22.991 align:middle line:90%
00:16:22.991 --> 00:16:26.354 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:16:26.354 --> 00:16:29.190 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:16:29.190 --> 00:16:37.950 align:middle line:90%
00:16:37.950 --> 00:16:40.144 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:16:40.144 --> 00:16:49.030 align:middle line:90%
00:16:49.030 --> 00:16:52.411 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:16:52.411 --> 00:16:59.670 align:middle line:90%
00:16:59.670 --> 00:17:02.232 align:middle line:84%
In China, it\'s as if a
city the size of Paris
00:17:02.232 --> 00:17:03.440 align:middle line:90%
were springing up each month.
00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:04.829 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:17:04.829 --> 00:17:07.900 align:middle line:84%
But how are all these new
city dwellers going to be fed?
00:17:07.900 --> 00:17:11.260 align:middle line:84%
In Beijing alone, supermarkets
sell the same quantity of food
00:17:11.260 --> 00:17:14.103 align:middle line:84%
that is sold in
the whole of Spain.
00:17:14.103 --> 00:17:16.099 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:17:16.099 --> 00:17:19.260 align:middle line:84%
In less than 10 years,
120 hypermarkets
00:17:19.260 --> 00:17:22.160 align:middle line:84%
and 250 discount stores
belonging to the Carrefour
00:17:22.160 --> 00:17:25.450 align:middle line:84%
Corporation have opened
in Chinese cities.
00:17:25.450 --> 00:17:28.890 align:middle line:84%
Two new Carrefour hypermarkets
are being built each month.
00:17:28.890 --> 00:17:32.210 align:middle line:84%
More than two million clients
a day pour into these stores.
00:17:32.210 --> 00:17:34.370 align:middle line:84%
The market seems to
be inexhaustible,
00:17:34.370 --> 00:17:37.040 align:middle line:84%
with an ever-growing demand
for dairy products, poultry,
00:17:37.040 --> 00:17:37.580 align:middle line:90%
and meat.
00:17:37.580 --> 00:17:40.580 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:17:40.580 --> 00:17:43.890 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:17:43.890 --> 00:18:25.750 align:middle line:90%
00:18:25.750 --> 00:18:29.138 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:18:29.138 --> 00:18:32.050 align:middle line:90%
00:18:32.050 --> 00:18:34.530 align:middle line:84%
Such an incident
occurred in 2007,
00:18:34.530 --> 00:18:37.720 align:middle line:84%
when SARS, Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome,
00:18:37.720 --> 00:18:41.110 align:middle line:84%
decimated the pork industry,
creating a supply deficit
00:18:41.110 --> 00:18:43.950 align:middle line:84%
and a spike in
prices of about 40%.
00:18:43.950 --> 00:18:46.270 align:middle line:84%
Pork is a staple of
the Chinese diet.
00:18:46.270 --> 00:18:49.415 align:middle line:84%
And this dramatic price increase
alarmed Chinese officials.
00:18:49.415 --> 00:18:52.520 align:middle line:90%
00:18:52.520 --> 00:18:55.470 align:middle line:84%
So in 2008, just prior
to the Olympic games,
00:18:55.470 --> 00:18:57.890 align:middle line:84%
China imported
100,000 tons of pork
00:18:57.890 --> 00:19:01.510 align:middle line:90%
as a precautionary measure.
00:19:01.510 --> 00:19:03.610 align:middle line:84%
But relying on the
international market
00:19:03.610 --> 00:19:04.655 align:middle line:90%
is not without its risks.
00:19:04.655 --> 00:19:07.818 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:19:07.818 --> 00:19:12.040 align:middle line:90%
00:19:12.040 --> 00:19:13.890 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FRENCH]
00:19:13.890 --> 00:19:43.490 align:middle line:90%
00:19:43.490 --> 00:19:46.027 align:middle line:84%
One way of slowing the
flood of foreign products
00:19:46.027 --> 00:19:47.860 align:middle line:84%
is to continue to
increase local production.
00:19:47.860 --> 00:19:50.390 align:middle line:90%
00:19:50.390 --> 00:19:52.530 align:middle line:84%
When it comes to
pork, Chinese leaders
00:19:52.530 --> 00:19:54.965 align:middle line:84%
are pressuring small farmers
to increase their output.
00:19:54.965 --> 00:19:58.150 align:middle line:90%
00:19:58.150 --> 00:20:00.640 align:middle line:84%
But it\'s becoming virtually
impossible for the small farmer
00:20:00.640 --> 00:20:03.510 align:middle line:84%
to manage these demands
and still make a profit.
00:20:03.510 --> 00:20:06.350 align:middle line:90%
00:20:06.350 --> 00:20:08.430 align:middle line:84%
Indeed, they are
limited by the amount
00:20:08.430 --> 00:20:11.120 align:middle line:84%
of food available for feeding
the ever-growing number
00:20:11.120 --> 00:20:11.665 align:middle line:90%
of livestock.
00:20:11.665 --> 00:20:15.330 align:middle line:90%
00:20:15.330 --> 00:20:17.550 align:middle line:84%
The problem of pork
breeding in China
00:20:17.550 --> 00:20:20.780 align:middle line:84%
may well become a matter
of corn production.
00:20:20.780 --> 00:20:24.320 align:middle line:84%
But in the meantime,
everyone is breeding pigs.
00:20:24.320 --> 00:20:25.230 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:20:25.230 --> 00:20:29.686 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:20:29.686 --> 00:20:31.380 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:20:31.380 --> 00:20:34.924 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:20:34.924 --> 00:20:35.800 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:20:35.800 --> 00:20:38.010 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:20:38.010 --> 00:20:41.720 align:middle line:90%
00:20:41.720 --> 00:20:44.130 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:20:44.130 --> 00:20:52.300 align:middle line:90%
00:20:52.300 --> 00:20:54.010 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:20:54.010 --> 00:21:16.180 align:middle line:90%
00:21:16.180 --> 00:21:18.200 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FRENCH]
00:21:18.200 --> 00:22:05.710 align:middle line:90%
00:22:05.710 --> 00:22:08.320 align:middle line:84%
The small Chinese farmer
doesn\'t-- or doesn\'t yet--
00:22:08.320 --> 00:22:11.740 align:middle line:84%
realize that he\'s an
endangered species.
00:22:11.740 --> 00:22:13.990 align:middle line:84%
What he does know, however,
is that he is no longer
00:22:13.990 --> 00:22:16.430 align:middle line:90%
protected by closed borders.
00:22:16.430 --> 00:22:18.520 align:middle line:84%
He is subjected to
price volatility
00:22:18.520 --> 00:22:21.330 align:middle line:84%
for the petrochemical
based fertilizers he uses
00:22:21.330 --> 00:22:24.460 align:middle line:84%
as well as the seeds he
sows, which themselves
00:22:24.460 --> 00:22:26.852 align:middle line:90%
are quite often simply doctored.
00:22:26.852 --> 00:22:30.324 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:22:30.324 --> 00:22:57.170 align:middle line:90%
00:22:57.170 --> 00:22:59.000 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:13.510 align:middle line:90%
00:23:13.510 --> 00:23:15.350 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:23:15.350 --> 00:23:26.530 align:middle line:90%
00:23:26.530 --> 00:23:28.420 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:23:28.420 --> 00:24:02.670 align:middle line:90%
00:24:02.670 --> 00:24:05.410 align:middle line:84%
China\'s demand for corn
alone is so enormous
00:24:05.410 --> 00:24:07.930 align:middle line:84%
that there\'s little
room left for maneuver.
00:24:07.930 --> 00:24:10.780 align:middle line:84%
China can try to increase
the amount of land it farms
00:24:10.780 --> 00:24:13.530 align:middle line:84%
to force farmers to produce
corn instead of soy,
00:24:13.530 --> 00:24:16.520 align:middle line:84%
a traditional crop that is
a dietary staple in China,
00:24:16.520 --> 00:24:17.770 align:middle line:90%
but they need to do more.
00:24:17.770 --> 00:24:20.330 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:24:20.330 --> 00:24:22.300 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FRENCH]
00:24:22.300 --> 00:24:27.430 align:middle line:90%
00:24:27.430 --> 00:24:30.636 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:24:30.636 --> 00:24:34.530 align:middle line:90%
00:24:34.530 --> 00:24:38.130 align:middle line:84%
In spite of the difficulties,
both technical and political,
00:24:38.130 --> 00:24:41.050 align:middle line:84%
China doesn\'t really
have any other choice.
00:24:41.050 --> 00:24:42.660 align:middle line:84%
Chinese farming
potential at home
00:24:42.660 --> 00:24:45.820 align:middle line:84%
has been stretched to its
limits due to depleted water
00:24:45.820 --> 00:24:49.390 align:middle line:84%
resources, soil erosion,
and dwindling cultivation
00:24:49.390 --> 00:24:50.575 align:middle line:90%
area due to urbanization.
00:24:50.575 --> 00:24:54.012 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:24:54.012 --> 00:24:57.950 align:middle line:90%
00:24:57.950 --> 00:25:01.300 align:middle line:84%
We\'ve seen another
interesting manifestation
00:25:01.300 --> 00:25:06.100 align:middle line:84%
of the politics of food
scarcity in countries
00:25:06.100 --> 00:25:11.040 align:middle line:84%
trying to lease or buy land
in other countries on which
00:25:11.040 --> 00:25:13.520 align:middle line:90%
to produce food.
00:25:13.520 --> 00:25:17.540 align:middle line:84%
South Korea is
approaching the Russians
00:25:17.540 --> 00:25:23.250 align:middle line:84%
about leasing land
in eastern Siberia
00:25:23.250 --> 00:25:26.590 align:middle line:84%
that they can use
for wheat production.
00:25:26.590 --> 00:25:33.580 align:middle line:84%
China is working with
a number of countries,
00:25:33.580 --> 00:25:41.010 align:middle line:84%
trying to lease or buy land on
which they can produce grain
00:25:41.010 --> 00:25:43.670 align:middle line:84%
and other products
to ship to China.
00:25:43.670 --> 00:25:50.980 align:middle line:84%
They\'re talking with Myanmar,
with Laos, with Cuba,
00:25:50.980 --> 00:25:55.945 align:middle line:84%
with Brazil, with
Russia, Argentina.
00:25:55.945 --> 00:26:01.450 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:26:01.450 --> 00:26:03.440 align:middle line:84%
Thousands of
kilometers from China,
00:26:03.440 --> 00:26:04.950 align:middle line:84%
the Chinese farmers\'
difficulties
00:26:04.950 --> 00:26:08.770 align:middle line:84%
have spread to Argentina, the
Argentinian farmer being forced
00:26:08.770 --> 00:26:12.512 align:middle line:84%
to become the world\'s
largest producer of soy.
00:26:12.512 --> 00:26:15.590 align:middle line:84%
Of the 60 billion US dollars
the Chinese have directly
00:26:15.590 --> 00:26:18.480 align:middle line:84%
invested in agriculture
abroad, more than half
00:26:18.480 --> 00:26:20.980 align:middle line:90%
is invested in Argentina.
00:26:20.980 --> 00:26:22.270 align:middle line:90%
Why Argentina?
00:26:22.270 --> 00:26:25.120 align:middle line:84%
Because Argentina, over
the past few years,
00:26:25.120 --> 00:26:28.520 align:middle line:84%
has become one of the world\'s
principal producers of soy.
00:26:28.520 --> 00:26:30.330 align:middle line:84%
The same soybean
the Chinese peasants
00:26:30.330 --> 00:26:33.351 align:middle line:84%
have stopped farming in response
to changing domestic food
00:26:33.351 --> 00:26:33.850 align:middle line:90%
habits.
00:26:33.850 --> 00:26:37.004 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:26:37.004 --> 00:26:43.240 align:middle line:90%
00:26:43.240 --> 00:26:46.770 align:middle line:84%
In 2008, there was also
rioting in Argentina.
00:26:46.770 --> 00:26:48.560 align:middle line:84%
Unlike the unrest
in Africa and Haiti,
00:26:48.560 --> 00:26:51.650 align:middle line:84%
due to food shortage and
hunger, the Argentinian riots
00:26:51.650 --> 00:26:54.910 align:middle line:84%
were sparked by social upheaval
due to the sudden surge of soy
00:26:54.910 --> 00:26:59.110 align:middle line:84%
production and the destruction
of traditional farming systems.
00:26:59.110 --> 00:27:01.410 align:middle line:84%
The riots were basically
caused by overproduction.
00:27:01.410 --> 00:27:06.060 align:middle line:90%
00:27:06.060 --> 00:27:07.660 align:middle line:84%
Yet it is the
soybean that helped
00:27:07.660 --> 00:27:12.020 align:middle line:84%
Argentina recover from the
terrible crisis of 2001.
00:27:12.020 --> 00:27:16.360 align:middle line:84%
Soy sales represent 25% of the
country\'s income, its export
00:27:16.360 --> 00:27:19.170 align:middle line:84%
tax alone producing
the budget surplus,
00:27:19.170 --> 00:27:22.550 align:middle line:84%
enabling the country to
pay off its foreign debt.
00:27:22.550 --> 00:27:24.350 align:middle line:84%
The farmers mobilized
in opposition
00:27:24.350 --> 00:27:26.820 align:middle line:84%
to an increase in
this tax, successfully
00:27:26.820 --> 00:27:29.160 align:middle line:84%
blocking the entire country\'s
distribution network.
00:27:29.160 --> 00:27:34.350 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
00:27:34.350 --> 00:27:35.950 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
00:27:35.950 --> 00:28:22.190 align:middle line:90%
00:28:22.190 --> 00:28:27.000 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:28:27.000 --> 00:28:28.900 align:middle line:84%
Indeed, small farmers
are being forced
00:28:28.900 --> 00:28:30.620 align:middle line:90%
to leave the countryside.
00:28:30.620 --> 00:28:33.610 align:middle line:84%
Over the past few
years, an estimated 25%
00:28:33.610 --> 00:28:35.310 align:middle line:90%
have migrated to cities.
00:28:35.310 --> 00:28:37.405 align:middle line:90%
In total, 200,000 families.
00:28:37.405 --> 00:28:40.150 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:28:40.150 --> 00:28:45.920 align:middle line:90%
00:28:45.920 --> 00:28:48.630 align:middle line:84%
Yet the Argentinian
government has had no qualms
00:28:48.630 --> 00:28:51.420 align:middle line:84%
in moving towards a policy of
highly industrialized profit
00:28:51.420 --> 00:28:53.100 align:middle line:90%
based agriculture.
00:28:53.100 --> 00:28:56.550 align:middle line:84%
With 80% of its agricultural
production being exported,
00:28:56.550 --> 00:28:59.705 align:middle line:84%
the Rosario Board of Trade
can now post record earnings.
00:28:59.705 --> 00:29:07.670 align:middle line:90%
00:29:07.670 --> 00:29:08.790 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
00:29:08.790 --> 00:30:04.330 align:middle line:90%
00:30:04.330 --> 00:30:07.780 align:middle line:84%
The European Union was only too
happy to buy Argentinian soy
00:30:07.780 --> 00:30:10.680 align:middle line:84%
in the 1990s to replace
prohibited animal
00:30:10.680 --> 00:30:14.970 align:middle line:84%
feed after the outbreak
of mad cow disease.
00:30:14.970 --> 00:30:17.540 align:middle line:84%
Since then, buyers
have multiplied.
00:30:17.540 --> 00:30:21.140 align:middle line:84%
And at terminal 6, shipments
to Rotterdam and China
00:30:21.140 --> 00:30:25.590 align:middle line:84%
never let up--
especially to China,
00:30:25.590 --> 00:30:28.340 align:middle line:84%
which represents half of
all Argentinian soy exports
00:30:28.340 --> 00:30:31.610 align:middle line:84%
and has led the Chinese to
investing in on-site soybean
00:30:31.610 --> 00:30:32.410 align:middle line:90%
processing plants.
00:30:32.410 --> 00:30:37.630 align:middle line:90%
00:30:37.630 --> 00:30:41.360 align:middle line:84%
More than half of China\'s soy
needs are met by Argentina.
00:30:41.360 --> 00:30:44.290 align:middle line:84%
And the price of soy
is closely monitored
00:30:44.290 --> 00:30:47.613 align:middle line:90%
at the Jinju Commodity Exchange.
00:30:47.613 --> 00:30:49.500 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:30:49.500 --> 00:30:51.200 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:30:51.200 --> 00:31:39.190 align:middle line:90%
00:31:39.190 --> 00:32:06.930 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
00:32:06.930 --> 00:32:09.080 align:middle line:84%
Once this new biofuel
sector opened up,
00:32:09.080 --> 00:32:11.780 align:middle line:84%
it began to seriously
threaten both the environment
00:32:11.780 --> 00:32:14.360 align:middle line:84%
and the social fabric
of the country.
00:32:14.360 --> 00:32:16.060 align:middle line:84%
The four million
tons of biodiesel
00:32:16.060 --> 00:32:17.797 align:middle line:84%
planned over the
next three years
00:32:17.797 --> 00:32:20.380 align:middle line:84%
will require clearing more than
nine million hectares of land.
00:32:20.380 --> 00:32:23.160 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:32:23.160 --> 00:32:30.450 align:middle line:90%
00:32:30.450 --> 00:32:33.880 align:middle line:84%
It all began in the United
States with ethanol production
00:32:33.880 --> 00:32:35.510 align:middle line:90%
from genetically modified corn.
00:32:35.510 --> 00:32:38.498 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:32:38.498 --> 00:32:42.980 align:middle line:90%
00:32:42.980 --> 00:32:45.690 align:middle line:84%
This newly created sector,
which produces fuel
00:32:45.690 --> 00:32:48.100 align:middle line:84%
from products once destined
to feed only humans
00:32:48.100 --> 00:32:51.100 align:middle line:84%
and animals-- corn and
soy for the most part--
00:32:51.100 --> 00:32:53.260 align:middle line:84%
has deeply impacted the
geopolitics of world
00:32:53.260 --> 00:32:53.760 align:middle line:90%
agriculture.
00:32:53.760 --> 00:32:56.480 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:32:56.480 --> 00:32:59.320 align:middle line:90%
00:32:59.320 --> 00:33:01.410 align:middle line:84%
One third of the
American corn harvest
00:33:01.410 --> 00:33:03.360 align:middle line:84%
is henceforth
earmarked for ethanol.
00:33:03.360 --> 00:33:10.250 align:middle line:90%
00:33:10.250 --> 00:33:13.460 align:middle line:84%
For the United States,
leader in the field, ethanol
00:33:13.460 --> 00:33:16.650 align:middle line:84%
is a key factor in
energy independence,
00:33:16.650 --> 00:33:20.070 align:middle line:84%
even if it\'s at the expense
of meeting needs for food.
00:33:20.070 --> 00:33:22.500 align:middle line:84%
At the University of
Iowa, the researchers
00:33:22.500 --> 00:33:25.560 align:middle line:84%
at the Food and Agricultural
Policy Research Institute
00:33:25.560 --> 00:33:28.030 align:middle line:84%
are currently
studying the issue.
00:33:28.030 --> 00:33:32.460 align:middle line:84%
Of course, when you
increase the use of ethanol,
00:33:32.460 --> 00:33:36.800 align:middle line:84%
it comes at the
expense of other uses.
00:33:36.800 --> 00:33:43.280 align:middle line:84%
Feed use, which is currently
at 57% of total domestic use,
00:33:43.280 --> 00:33:46.190 align:middle line:90%
is still a large component.
00:33:46.190 --> 00:33:51.330 align:middle line:84%
But as we have more
and more corn going
00:33:51.330 --> 00:33:53.760 align:middle line:84%
into ethanol
production, we\'re seeing
00:33:53.760 --> 00:33:57.060 align:middle line:84%
tighter and tighter
supplies for feed.
00:33:57.060 --> 00:33:59.615 align:middle line:84%
And the same holds
true for exports.
00:33:59.615 --> 00:34:07.180 align:middle line:90%
00:34:07.180 --> 00:34:09.219 align:middle line:84%
In the light of
dwindling oil resources
00:34:09.219 --> 00:34:12.330 align:middle line:84%
and the anti-pollution lobby,
biofuels were immediately
00:34:12.330 --> 00:34:15.610 align:middle line:90%
welcomed as a miracle solution.
00:34:15.610 --> 00:34:17.280 align:middle line:84%
But leading producer
nations began
00:34:17.280 --> 00:34:20.040 align:middle line:84%
to increase subsidies
for biofuel production,
00:34:20.040 --> 00:34:21.964 align:middle line:84%
thus exacerbating the
market in balance.
00:34:21.964 --> 00:34:27.550 align:middle line:90%
00:34:27.550 --> 00:34:33.300 align:middle line:84%
There is no doubt that the
very high level of government
00:34:33.300 --> 00:34:38.659 align:middle line:84%
support that\'s provided to the
producers of biofuels in North
00:34:38.659 --> 00:34:40.409 align:middle line:84%
America and Europe,
and that\'s also
00:34:40.409 --> 00:34:44.460 align:middle line:84%
provided to the
users of biofuels,
00:34:44.460 --> 00:34:49.130 align:middle line:84%
has greatly added to
the additional demand
00:34:49.130 --> 00:34:52.300 align:middle line:84%
for agricultural
commodities worldwide,
00:34:52.300 --> 00:34:56.670 align:middle line:84%
and therefore has added to
the upward price pressure.
00:34:56.670 --> 00:35:00.200 align:middle line:90%
00:35:00.200 --> 00:35:04.650 align:middle line:84%
In Iowa, Lincolnway Energy
was the 100th ethanol plant
00:35:04.650 --> 00:35:10.060 align:middle line:84%
of the 150 built in the US in
the space of just four years.
00:35:10.060 --> 00:35:13.525 align:middle line:84%
A highly profitable investment
at a time of high oil prices.
00:35:13.525 --> 00:35:16.810 align:middle line:90%
00:35:16.810 --> 00:35:18.254 align:middle line:84%
We don\'t receive
direct subsidies
00:35:18.254 --> 00:35:19.420 align:middle line:90%
from the federal government.
00:35:19.420 --> 00:35:23.060 align:middle line:84%
We receive the benefit of
our customers, the blenders,
00:35:23.060 --> 00:35:25.400 align:middle line:84%
who take our ethanol
and blend with gasoline.
00:35:25.400 --> 00:35:30.710 align:middle line:84%
They receive about a $0.50
per gallon federal tax credit.
00:35:30.710 --> 00:35:33.040 align:middle line:84%
So our customers
receive that credit--
00:35:33.040 --> 00:35:35.420 align:middle line:84%
makes our products more
affordable for them.
00:35:35.420 --> 00:35:37.770 align:middle line:84%
So we receive an
indirect benefit.
00:35:37.770 --> 00:35:40.295 align:middle line:84%
We received some state money
for training our employees
00:35:40.295 --> 00:35:42.140 align:middle line:84%
when we first
started up the plant.
00:35:42.140 --> 00:35:44.500 align:middle line:84%
But those are the only
direct government subsidies
00:35:44.500 --> 00:35:47.325 align:middle line:90%
we\'ve received.
00:35:47.325 --> 00:35:51.520 align:middle line:84%
We estimate that the
total level of support
00:35:51.520 --> 00:35:56.840 align:middle line:84%
provided to the biofuel
sector in the United States,
00:35:56.840 --> 00:36:03.210 align:middle line:84%
in Canada, and the European
Union, at this moment
00:36:03.210 --> 00:36:09.570 align:middle line:84%
is in the order of magnitude
of 11 billion US dollars.
00:36:09.570 --> 00:36:13.340 align:middle line:84%
And that is a very
significant amount of money
00:36:13.340 --> 00:36:19.080 align:middle line:84%
that pulls food out
of the food market
00:36:19.080 --> 00:36:22.760 align:middle line:84%
and puts it into
the biofuel sector.
00:36:22.760 --> 00:36:26.460 align:middle line:84%
So food doesn\'t go
to the hungry people,
00:36:26.460 --> 00:36:29.630 align:middle line:84%
but it goes into the
cars of the rich people.
00:36:29.630 --> 00:36:32.290 align:middle line:90%
And that\'s a real problem.
00:36:32.290 --> 00:36:39.110 align:middle line:90%
00:36:39.110 --> 00:36:41.890 align:middle line:84%
So the amount of corn now
consumed by the US ethanol
00:36:41.890 --> 00:36:43.792 align:middle line:84%
industry means an
equal amount is
00:36:43.792 --> 00:36:45.500 align:middle line:84%
no longer available
for food consumption.
00:36:45.500 --> 00:36:48.265 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:36:48.265 --> 00:36:51.259 align:middle line:90%
[TRAIN PASSING]
00:36:51.259 --> 00:36:58.760 align:middle line:90%
00:36:58.760 --> 00:37:30.450 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FRENCH]
00:37:30.450 --> 00:37:34.380 align:middle line:84%
And it seems that these policies
are set to continue, especially
00:37:34.380 --> 00:37:36.830 align:middle line:84%
with the backing of
current scientific research
00:37:36.830 --> 00:37:38.330 align:middle line:84%
and genetically
modified organisms.
00:37:38.330 --> 00:37:43.070 align:middle line:90%
00:37:43.070 --> 00:37:44.610 align:middle line:90%
Agriculture is almost a science.
00:37:44.610 --> 00:37:46.880 align:middle line:84%
We tend to put the right
amount of fertilizer.
00:37:46.880 --> 00:37:48.572 align:middle line:84%
Our seed companies
are very good.
00:37:48.572 --> 00:37:50.280 align:middle line:84%
And they have the best
possible genetics.
00:37:50.280 --> 00:37:52.140 align:middle line:90%
And that\'s available for sale.
00:37:52.140 --> 00:37:55.100 align:middle line:84%
And so it\'s hard to get
extra yield in the US.
00:37:55.100 --> 00:38:00.160 align:middle line:90%
00:38:00.160 --> 00:38:03.300 align:middle line:90%
Biofuels and GMOs are linked.
00:38:03.300 --> 00:38:05.800 align:middle line:84%
Transgenic engineering
is a key element
00:38:05.800 --> 00:38:08.270 align:middle line:84%
in the industrialization
of the sector.
00:38:08.270 --> 00:38:10.260 align:middle line:84%
And this
industrialisation in turn
00:38:10.260 --> 00:38:13.780 align:middle line:84%
implies a complete
restructuring of agriculture.
00:38:13.780 --> 00:38:17.030 align:middle line:84%
Argentina as we\'ve seen
is a good example of this.
00:38:17.030 --> 00:38:20.208 align:middle line:90%
[HELICOPTER PASSING]
00:38:20.208 --> 00:38:26.020 align:middle line:90%
00:38:26.020 --> 00:38:29.540 align:middle line:84%
First, via its constant search
for new cultivation areas.
00:38:29.540 --> 00:38:32.890 align:middle line:84%
The goal being to redirect
land use or to clear forests
00:38:32.890 --> 00:38:35.060 align:middle line:84%
in order to plant
transgenic soy.
00:38:35.060 --> 00:38:38.310 align:middle line:84%
The secret of the
Argentinian miracle.
00:38:38.310 --> 00:38:41.090 align:middle line:84%
Argentina today is the
second largest producer
00:38:41.090 --> 00:38:43.160 align:middle line:90%
of GMO crops in the world.
00:38:43.160 --> 00:38:43.890 align:middle line:90%
Why?
00:38:43.890 --> 00:38:44.820 align:middle line:90%
How did this happen?
00:38:44.820 --> 00:38:49.950 align:middle line:90%
00:38:49.950 --> 00:38:54.080 align:middle line:84%
Its success story began in 1996,
when the American multinational
00:38:54.080 --> 00:38:57.840 align:middle line:84%
Monsanto introduced Roundup
Ready soy to the country.
00:38:57.840 --> 00:39:00.430 align:middle line:84%
Soy, that thanks to
genetic engineering,
00:39:00.430 --> 00:39:03.380 align:middle line:84%
is resistant to a powerful
herbicide, also developed
00:39:03.380 --> 00:39:06.350 align:middle line:90%
by Monsanto, called Roundup.
00:39:06.350 --> 00:39:08.570 align:middle line:84%
The former, of course, is
dependent on the latter.
00:39:08.570 --> 00:39:12.150 align:middle line:90%
00:39:12.150 --> 00:39:14.320 align:middle line:90%
You no longer need to plow.
00:39:14.320 --> 00:39:17.680 align:middle line:84%
You just sow the Monsanto seeds
and then spray the same brand
00:39:17.680 --> 00:39:19.740 align:middle line:90%
herbicide.
00:39:19.740 --> 00:39:23.040 align:middle line:84%
The result a country producing
more than six times the amount
00:39:23.040 --> 00:39:25.160 align:middle line:84%
of grain needed to
feed its population
00:39:25.160 --> 00:39:28.380 align:middle line:84%
is exporting soy and yet still
is plagued by malnutrition.
00:39:28.380 --> 00:39:38.960 align:middle line:90%
00:39:38.960 --> 00:39:41.030 align:middle line:84%
Transgenic soy
cultivation has sped up
00:39:41.030 --> 00:39:44.640 align:middle line:84%
the concentration of land held
by investors, land governed
00:39:44.640 --> 00:39:47.290 align:middle line:84%
by corporations with ties
to international finance
00:39:47.290 --> 00:39:47.956 align:middle line:90%
and speculation.
00:39:47.956 --> 00:39:54.560 align:middle line:90%
00:39:54.560 --> 00:39:57.530 align:middle line:84%
2% of Argentinian cultivators
control more than half
00:39:57.530 --> 00:39:59.790 align:middle line:90%
of the country\'s soy production.
00:39:59.790 --> 00:40:02.580 align:middle line:84%
The term cultivator here perhaps
not being the right word,
00:40:02.580 --> 00:40:06.460 align:middle line:84%
seeing that they are more
managers than farmers.
00:40:06.460 --> 00:40:08.200 align:middle line:84%
Just like this
manager controlling
00:40:08.200 --> 00:40:25.630 align:middle line:90%
an area of 8,000 hectares.
00:40:25.630 --> 00:40:26.980 align:middle line:90%
Yields are good.
00:40:26.980 --> 00:40:29.880 align:middle line:84%
And Martin Tisanis Pinto
is an ardent defender
00:40:29.880 --> 00:40:31.480 align:middle line:90%
of the new Argentinian creed.
00:40:31.480 --> 00:40:34.120 align:middle line:90%
00:40:34.120 --> 00:40:35.880 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
00:40:35.880 --> 00:41:00.400 align:middle line:90%
00:41:00.400 --> 00:41:03.382 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:41:03.382 --> 00:41:09.610 align:middle line:90%
00:41:09.610 --> 00:41:13.170 align:middle line:84%
Transgenic soy is
continuing to make inroads.
00:41:13.170 --> 00:41:16.030 align:middle line:84%
As well as displacing cattle,
forest is being destroyed.
00:41:16.030 --> 00:41:19.090 align:middle line:90%
00:41:19.090 --> 00:41:24.240 align:middle line:84%
277,000 hectares of forest
go up in smoke every year.
00:41:24.240 --> 00:41:26.770 align:middle line:90%
760 hectares a day.
00:41:26.770 --> 00:41:27.960 align:middle line:90%
32 an hour.
00:41:27.960 --> 00:41:38.860 align:middle line:90%
00:41:38.860 --> 00:41:41.050 align:middle line:84%
The Indians in the
province of [INAUDIBLE]
00:41:41.050 --> 00:41:42.730 align:middle line:84%
are seeing their
habitat disappear
00:41:42.730 --> 00:41:46.100 align:middle line:84%
and are falling victim to the
wave of pauperization that
00:41:46.100 --> 00:41:48.410 align:middle line:84%
has already hit the
class of small farmers
00:41:48.410 --> 00:41:52.560 align:middle line:84%
that this new agriculture
no longer needs.
00:41:52.560 --> 00:41:57.332 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
00:41:57.332 --> 00:42:00.410 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
00:42:00.410 --> 00:42:13.105 align:middle line:90%
00:42:13.105 --> 00:42:16.542 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:42:16.542 --> 00:42:25.910 align:middle line:90%
00:42:25.910 --> 00:42:28.790 align:middle line:84%
Besides the patented
GMOs we know today,
00:42:28.790 --> 00:42:31.200 align:middle line:84%
there is still much scope
in genetic engineering
00:42:31.200 --> 00:42:33.919 align:middle line:84%
for exploring yield
increases and, above all,
00:42:33.919 --> 00:42:34.710 align:middle line:90%
drought resistance.
00:42:34.710 --> 00:42:38.770 align:middle line:90%
00:42:38.770 --> 00:42:42.110 align:middle line:84%
China is one of the large
countries outside the US orbit
00:42:42.110 --> 00:42:44.930 align:middle line:84%
having developed its
own research programs.
00:42:44.930 --> 00:42:47.420 align:middle line:84%
Today there are more
Chinese scientists
00:42:47.420 --> 00:42:50.590 align:middle line:84%
working on transgenic plants
than in any other country
00:42:50.590 --> 00:42:54.200 align:middle line:90%
except the United States.
00:42:54.200 --> 00:42:58.360 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:42:58.360 --> 00:42:59.840 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:42:59.840 --> 00:43:58.890 align:middle line:90%
00:43:58.890 --> 00:44:00.800 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:44:00.800 --> 00:44:26.190 align:middle line:90%
00:44:26.190 --> 00:44:27.340 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FRENCH]
00:44:27.340 --> 00:45:38.590 align:middle line:90%
00:45:38.590 --> 00:45:42.041 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:45:42.041 --> 00:45:43.520 align:middle line:90%
[COW MOOING]
00:45:43.520 --> 00:45:46.971 align:middle line:90%
00:45:46.971 --> 00:45:49.929 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:45:49.929 --> 00:45:55.370 align:middle line:90%
00:45:55.370 --> 00:46:00.140 align:middle line:84%
The Chinese agricultural model
of the future already exists.
00:46:00.140 --> 00:46:02.850 align:middle line:84%
A good example is
this ultra modern farm
00:46:02.850 --> 00:46:06.570 align:middle line:84%
with 5,000 cows belonging to
the Western-style dairy produce
00:46:06.570 --> 00:46:07.610 align:middle line:90%
company Menu.
00:46:07.610 --> 00:46:09.870 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:46:09.870 --> 00:46:12.790 align:middle line:84%
Its sales have grown fivefold
in the past five years.
00:46:12.790 --> 00:46:16.510 align:middle line:84%
And this veritable palace of
milk, yogurt, and ice cream
00:46:16.510 --> 00:46:18.580 align:middle line:84%
has become a tourist
attraction, visited
00:46:18.580 --> 00:46:21.340 align:middle line:84%
by thousands of new Chinese
consumers every year.
00:46:21.340 --> 00:46:26.650 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:46:26.650 --> 00:46:28.940 align:middle line:84%
Yet this spectacular
success story
00:46:28.940 --> 00:46:30.920 align:middle line:84%
also exemplifies
the contradictions
00:46:30.920 --> 00:46:32.720 align:middle line:90%
of the current system.
00:46:32.720 --> 00:46:35.280 align:middle line:84%
This same factory,
along with some others,
00:46:35.280 --> 00:46:37.230 align:middle line:84%
stands accused in
the recent scandal
00:46:37.230 --> 00:46:39.580 align:middle line:84%
of doctored powdered
milk for infants
00:46:39.580 --> 00:46:42.510 align:middle line:84%
and has been forced to recall
all of its dairy products.
00:46:42.510 --> 00:46:45.968 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
00:46:45.968 --> 00:46:51.910 align:middle line:90%
00:46:51.910 --> 00:46:52.700 align:middle line:90%
Why?
00:46:52.700 --> 00:46:54.890 align:middle line:84%
Because the milk,
collected for the most part
00:46:54.890 --> 00:46:57.580 align:middle line:84%
in the surrounding
villages, is protein poor
00:46:57.580 --> 00:47:00.510 align:middle line:84%
and was doped with melamine,
which is a health hazard.
00:47:00.510 --> 00:47:03.940 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:47:03.940 --> 00:47:09.330 align:middle line:90%
00:47:09.330 --> 00:47:11.960 align:middle line:84%
In the years 2000,
in order to respond
00:47:11.960 --> 00:47:14.110 align:middle line:84%
to the new demand
for dairy products,
00:47:14.110 --> 00:47:17.360 align:middle line:84%
the call was to raise
as many cows and pigs.
00:47:17.360 --> 00:47:19.690 align:middle line:84%
In Central Mongolia,
the entire region
00:47:19.690 --> 00:47:23.650 align:middle line:84%
began raising dairy cows in
spite of a lack of pasture land
00:47:23.650 --> 00:47:25.310 align:middle line:84%
and the poor
quality of the feed.
00:47:25.310 --> 00:47:31.590 align:middle line:90%
00:47:31.590 --> 00:47:33.290 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
00:47:33.290 --> 00:47:34.670 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
00:47:34.670 --> 00:47:38.820 align:middle line:90%
[ROOSTER CROWING]
00:47:38.820 --> 00:47:42.410 align:middle line:84%
Over 100,000 cows, spread
over many villages,
00:47:42.410 --> 00:47:45.535 align:middle line:84%
are feeding on corn waste in
makeshift sanitary conditions.
00:47:45.535 --> 00:47:52.744 align:middle line:90%
[COW MOOING]
00:47:52.744 --> 00:47:54.690 align:middle line:90%
[ROOSTER CROWING]
00:47:54.690 --> 00:47:56.640 align:middle line:84%
But who else can these
farmers sell their milk
00:47:56.640 --> 00:48:00.490 align:middle line:84%
to other than the nearby
Menu milk conglomerate?
00:48:00.490 --> 00:48:04.490 align:middle line:84%
They collect the milk twice
a day and impose their price.
00:48:04.490 --> 00:48:07.380 align:middle line:84%
The average peasant,
dairy farmers by force,
00:48:07.380 --> 00:48:09.380 align:middle line:90%
can either take it or leave it.
00:48:09.380 --> 00:48:12.670 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
00:48:12.670 --> 00:48:15.960 align:middle line:90%
00:48:15.960 --> 00:48:18.010 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
00:48:18.010 --> 00:48:26.780 align:middle line:90%
00:48:26.780 --> 00:48:30.252 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:48:30.252 --> 00:48:39.190 align:middle line:90%
00:48:39.190 --> 00:48:42.100 align:middle line:84%
The country\'s rapid transition
to a copied agribusiness
00:48:42.100 --> 00:48:45.080 align:middle line:84%
production model, in order
to meet its new needs
00:48:45.080 --> 00:48:48.040 align:middle line:84%
while remaining competitive
on the international markets,
00:48:48.040 --> 00:48:49.970 align:middle line:84%
is leading to a
contradiction which
00:48:49.970 --> 00:48:51.880 align:middle line:84%
mirrors global
agricultural policy.
00:48:51.880 --> 00:48:54.960 align:middle line:90%
00:48:54.960 --> 00:48:58.020 align:middle line:84%
Yet what can be done to create
a new worldwide balance in terms
00:48:58.020 --> 00:48:58.870 align:middle line:90%
of food policy?
00:48:58.870 --> 00:49:01.610 align:middle line:90%
00:49:01.610 --> 00:49:02.670 align:middle line:90%
[SPEAKING FRENCH]
00:49:02.670 --> 00:49:40.320 align:middle line:90%
00:49:40.320 --> 00:49:44.260 align:middle line:84%
To subject farming to pure
market mechanisms is a mistake.
00:49:44.260 --> 00:49:48.550 align:middle line:84%
And the small farmers in the
South are the first victims.
00:49:48.550 --> 00:49:52.020 align:middle line:84%
According to the FAO, it would
cost 30 billion US dollars
00:49:52.020 --> 00:49:55.900 align:middle line:84%
a year to give them
food independence.
00:49:55.900 --> 00:49:58.870 align:middle line:84%
Compared with the $1.3
billion that the United
00:49:58.870 --> 00:50:01.540 align:middle line:84%
States and the European
Union have put on the table
00:50:01.540 --> 00:50:03.410 align:middle line:84%
to solve the
financial crisis, this
00:50:03.410 --> 00:50:05.990 align:middle line:84%
is nothing and definitely
worth every penny.
00:50:05.990 --> 00:50:12.790 align:middle line:90%
00:50:12.790 --> 00:50:16.270 align:middle line:84%
As I look at the food situation,
the limits of technology,
00:50:16.270 --> 00:50:22.170 align:middle line:84%
emerging water shortages,
falling harvests,
00:50:22.170 --> 00:50:25.050 align:middle line:84%
I think food is
again the weak link.
00:50:25.050 --> 00:50:30.360 align:middle line:84%
And unless we can
concentrate on this,
00:50:30.360 --> 00:50:39.280 align:middle line:84%
unless we can begin to
accelerate the shift to smaller
00:50:39.280 --> 00:50:44.320 align:middle line:84%
families, to raise
water productivity,
00:50:44.320 --> 00:50:48.090 align:middle line:84%
and to conserve
cropland, to protect
00:50:48.090 --> 00:50:51.600 align:middle line:84%
cropland from conversion
to non-farm uses,
00:50:51.600 --> 00:50:57.700 align:middle line:84%
and invest more in
exploiting the remaining
00:50:57.700 --> 00:51:02.140 align:middle line:84%
potential for expanding food
production-- if we don\'t
00:51:02.140 --> 00:51:03.640 align:middle line:84%
do those things and
do them quickly,
00:51:03.640 --> 00:51:05.639 align:middle line:84%
then I think we\'re in
trouble as a civilization.
00:51:05.639 --> 00:51:13.660 align:middle line:90%
00:51:13.660 --> 00:51:17.390 align:middle line:84%
Three billion men and women are
suffering from malnutrition.
00:51:17.390 --> 00:51:20.360 align:middle line:84%
One billion are literally
starving, half of whom
00:51:20.360 --> 00:51:23.080 align:middle line:90%
are farmers.
00:51:23.080 --> 00:51:25.910 align:middle line:84%
Six years ago, the UN
committed to reducing
00:51:25.910 --> 00:51:29.590 align:middle line:84%
the number of people suffering
from hunger by the year 2015
00:51:29.590 --> 00:51:31.030 align:middle line:90%
by half.
00:51:31.030 --> 00:51:32.220 align:middle line:90%
This number has now doubled.
00:51:32.220 --> 00:51:34.850 align:middle line:90%
00:51:34.850 --> 00:51:37.710 align:middle line:84%
Meanwhile the world has been
feeding ever-growing numbers
00:51:37.710 --> 00:51:43.810 align:middle line:84%
of livestock and transforming
food into gasoline to run cars.
00:51:43.810 --> 00:51:46.330 align:middle line:84%
What\'s more, the
current financial crisis
00:51:46.330 --> 00:51:49.270 align:middle line:84%
is adding to and
aggravating a food crisis
00:51:49.270 --> 00:51:52.410 align:middle line:84%
on the brink of becoming
a veritable crash.
00:51:52.410 --> 00:51:54.720 align:middle line:90%
A food crash foretold.
00:51:54.720 --> 00:51:58.070 align:middle line:90%
[STRONG WIND BLOWING]
00:51:58.070 --> 00:52:34.222 align:middle line:90%
Distributor: Icarus Films
Length: 52 minutes
Date: 2008
Genre: Expository
Language: English; French
Grade: 8-12, College, Adult
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
Interactive Transcript: Available
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