Corn, Ethanol Production and Food Prices -- It's Not So Simple

Organizations which share Bread for the World’s commitment to poor and hungry people have expressed concern about the impact of biofuel production in developing countries. Some argue that biofuels provide an important opportunity for developing nations to contribute to the global economy and increase their export earnings. However, there are concerns lest this come at the expense of access to food and equitable opportunities for income generation. Domestic subsidies and import tariffs on the part of industrial nations further constrain prospects for biofuels to contribute significantly to development by hindering developing nations’ ability to export competitively.

Several tools other than the blunt instruments of mandates and subsidies now in effect in the US might offer better alternatives for advancing U.S. energy independence, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and stabilizing corn prices to the benefit of farmers and consumers alike. Government regulation of carbon emissions through capping or taxing output would encourage innovation and reduce the use of fossil fuels without contributing to the volatility of commodities markets. Cap-and-trade offers an alternative means of promoting more environmentally sound policies which allow for greater flexibility and ingenuity in developing fuels sources with lower GHG emissions.

Regulation of commodities markets could also safeguard food prices. Although higher prices can benefit farmers, the extreme volatility in evidence in the course of 2008 definitely does not. Rep. Peterson’s Derivatives Markets Transparency and Accountability Act of 2009 (H.R. 977), aims to prevent investment strategies from disrupting prices and impairing markets’ ability to reflect supply and demand forces.
Others suggest price supports and grain reserves as a better way to stabilize reasonable corn prices that would provide security to both farmers and to the poor and hungry. Similar voices also argue in support of sustainable agricultural practices that reduce energy consumption and re-focusing the energy debate on conservation and consumption rates.

In sum, the question of biofuels, namely the use of corn for ethanol, is more complicated than its frequent designation as cure or curse. The challenges that the industry both faces and presents are broadly reflective of shortcomings in both national and international policies, and the impact of corn-based ethanol production on food prices, greenhouse gas emissions and rural development in this country and overseas provides an important perspective on U.S. policies and the ways in which they demonstrate, or fail to demonstrate, consideration for the poor and the hungry of the nation and the world. In light of these nuanced realities, reflexive responses regarding corn-based ethanol should be replaced by principles that consider the full impact of biofuel-related trade and domestic economic policies on the poor.