I read a very interesting and long article today by Rob Lyons on the Food Price Crisis - http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/4977/ . The article appeared to describe, very fluently, how the food price crisis was in fact, possibly due to the environmental stewardship schemes created by the government in preference to growing crops intensively. Mr Lyons investigated the idea that biofuels have become a scapegoat for the world shortage of food because it is claimed that the production of biofuels diverts agriculture from its’ main business of growing food stuffs.

Whether there is any political value in Mr Lyons article or not, I do not know as these larger issues of world politics are somewhat beyond my current sphere of understanding. However, the article did raise my interest because it unknowingly touches on an issue that is becoming a problem to most farmers – diesel.

Mr Lyons didn’t mention exactly how much diesel, bio or otherwise, is required to produce any kind of farm crop from cereal to lamb or even to simply maintain the land through mundane tasks such as hedge-trimming. If you drive a car at the moment or even own a motor driven lawnmower, you can’t have failed to notice just how expensive fuel is becoming. I do wonder exactly how much of the food price increases can actually be laid at the door of rising fuel costs.

Whilst I can appreciate the disclaimers of biofuels when they maintain that the growth and production of these crops are if anything, more damaging on the environment than the impact of using fossil fuels, I am a great advocate of anyone trying to come up with a solution to the fossil fuel crisis that is approaching all nations. I do wonder just how people think that we can farm crops without fuel, now that farming is so modern and automated. I also wonder whether many people have made the connection between a future scarcity of fossil fuels and the soaring price of food.

Hmm, should I be investing in a couple of shire horses and asking John to sharpen up the scythe? I guess that maybe that future is a little way off yet but exactly how far away does it need to be before we can afford not to plan? A bleak future indeed. Maybe the hardships faced by the third world farmers described in Mr Lyons article are the ones we have to look forward to. I do have to question then who will be the worst off – the third world farmers managing the way they always have, or our developed world farmers, learning once again, how to do the job without combine or tractor.