Food Prices Spike Worldwide (1/3)

Recent weeks have seen Philippine authorities scramble to augment rice stocks in the country, Indonesian officials warn of possible social unrest due to skyrocketing prices for basic foodstuffs, irate Egyptians protesting bread shortages, and international food aid programs unable to buy enough goods to meet their food distribution targets for vulnerable populations.

These cases should not be viewed as isolated anomalies, but rather as indicators of a global phenomenon, according to Lester Brown of the Washington-based Earth Policy Institute.

"In seven of the last eight years, world grain production has fallen short of consumption. We have been pulling down world grain stocks until they are now at the lowest level in 34 years."

Experts say several factors are to blame: a growing world population, under-investment in agriculture technology, high petroleum prices, housing and business development crowding out farmlands, droughts and floods made more severe by climate change, and growing demand for a limited supply of fresh water.

In addition, grains like corn once grown exclusively to feed humans and livestock are now being diverted into programs to generateethanol and other so-called "biofuels" as an alternative to oil and gasoline.

参考译文：

最近几个星期，菲律宾当局在国内紧急寻求增加大米的储存量。印度尼西亚官员警告，飞涨的基本食品物价可能导致社会动荡。愤怒的埃及人抗议面包紧缺，国际食品援助项目无法购买足够的食品，来满足弱势群体的食品分配要求。

设在华盛顿的地球政策研究所的莱斯特.布朗（Lester Brown）说：这些事件不能孤立地看作个别异常现象，而应被视为一种全球现象的指示。

布朗说："过去的8年里，有7年的时间世界粮食产量不能满足消费的需求。我们的粮食储备量一直在下跌，到目前为止，储备量是34年来的最低水平。"

专家称，以下几个因素导致了这种现象：世界人口的逐渐增长，农业技术投入低，石油价格过高，农田被住房和商业发展所占用，气候变化引起的干旱和水灾使情况更加严重以及有限的纯净水无法满足日益增长的需求。

此外,像玉米之类的谷物以前只供人和牲畜食用，现在却用于其他项目---提炼酒精和其他所谓的"生物燃料"，作为石油和汽油的替代品。

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