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I was just speculating when I wrote this post on the possible effects of the US focusing on Ethanol production. Well, it seems I was right on the curve with this one. This article focuses on the effects of ethonal production on Central and South America. It opens with the quote: Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez calls the boom in ethanol the equivalent of starving the poor "to feed automobiles. " It's interesting to note that in the article is Chávez states that he's all for biofuels but believes that the US should get the ethanol from sugar plantations in Central and South America. Of course, that does nothing for lessening US dependance on foriegn fuel production. Plus, neither Central nor South America has stellar records for either environmental or human rights issues when it comes to large plantation farms, so increasing that production brings with it it's own problems.
There is no mention in the article about these countries growing more acrage of corn and, quite honestly, I don't know the environmental impact of corn farming for those areas. I just find it interesting how dependant on US corn these countries are and, equally interesting, how it is expected that the US continue to provide the same amount of corn, at the same prices.
It's not only corn, either. On the local farm report, it was noted that production in cotton and soybeans (I beleive) have fallen because of the higher prices for corn. That means there will be less cotton and soybeans available; followed by a price rise in items that come from cotton and soybeans. It could be that this increase won't affect other countries in the same way that the increase in the price of corn does, but there will be an effect.
There is no mention in the article about these countries growing more acrage of corn and, quite honestly, I don't know the environmental impact of corn farming for those areas. I just find it interesting how dependant on US corn these countries are and, equally interesting, how it is expected that the US continue to provide the same amount of corn, at the same prices.
It's not only corn, either. On the local farm report, it was noted that production in cotton and soybeans (I beleive) have fallen because of the higher prices for corn. That means there will be less cotton and soybeans available; followed by a price rise in items that come from cotton and soybeans. It could be that this increase won't affect other countries in the same way that the increase in the price of corn does, but there will be an effect.
