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tilizcr or industrial development
equipmcnt.
In 1974, motorists in America,
Europe and J apan fretted about
long lines or high costs at gas
stations.
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n
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ndia and othcr devel–
oping nations, irrigation pumps
sputtered and died for lack of
fuel. Precious water ceased flow–
ing in ditches across fields.
Bearded Sikhs in the Punjab,
and weary tenant farmers in the
Philippines walked from their
fields, carrying gasoline cans.
They collected along roadsides,
waiting for fuel trucks that did
not come. The sun beat down and
fields dried up.
"There is no fuel. The fertiliz–
er costs so much. It 's bad- very
bad," said Charan Singh Maan,
typical of farmers in the Punjab,
one of lndia's most productive
agricultura! states, during this
crisis. He, like many other farm–
ers, was forced to sell his tractor,
cut back purchases of fertilizer
and watch wheat production fal–
ter on his family farm.
The energy crisis has inconve–
nienced rich developed nations.
Energy-short developing nations
are hungrier and poorer. Today,
chemical fertilizer and pesticide
costs are double, t riple or more
what they were in the early
1970s. Petroleum import prices
have soared more than 1500 per–
cent.
Unparalleled Times
You're living in a totally different
wor ld! These events are giant
hammer blows to the survival of
nations!
Prices of modero life-essential
commodities don't just increase
regularly any more. Now they
1eap, they double, triple or more,
often in one year's time.
The world can't keep going on
this way. A handful of nations
possessing critica! resources or
power are now face-to-face with
the fact that their decisions may
mean other nations may sufTer
total economic collapse and mil–
lions may starve. Desperate na–
tions will go to war rather than
starve or collapse.
Why can't the nations of man–
kind salve their human problems
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and needs with equity and jus–
tice? The Bible revcals the an–
swer through the prophet lsaiah:
"The way of peace thcy know
not. ... We wait for light, but
behold obscurity; for brightness,
but we walk in darkness.... We
stumble at noon day as in the night
[especially with our agricultura!
p1anning] ... "( lsaiah 59:8-1 0).
Food: Energy Relatad
You may not realize just how
energy-dependent modern agri–
culture is-in developing nations
1ike I ndia, the Philippines or
Latín America, as well as the
technologically deve1oped nations
like the United States, Europe or
J apan.
One third of world crop pro–
duction is attributcd to the use of
chemical fertil izers and pesticides
that are made, for the most part,
from petroleum or fossil-fuel
feedstocks.
The great post-World War II
growth in world food production
and world population was pro–
pelled by
cheap
and
abundant
energy supplies- as well as good
weather. These former blessings
are no more.
The Green Revo1ution during
the 1960s and 1970s 1ocked many
developing as well as developed
nations into dependence on ener–
gy-intensive agricu1ture- fossi1
fuels, chemical fertilizers and
pesticides.
This type of agricu lture has
kept severa! hcavily populated
developing nations- like India,
the Pbilippines and Pakistan–
just short of the precipice of mass
famine. But to sustain and in–
crease agr icultura! production
these nations must import much
of their petroleum and fertilizer
supplies.
India, for example, must im–
port nearly half of its petroleum
and chemical ferti lizers. lndía,
however, is more fortunate than
sorne developing nations. Half of
Latín American countries, for
instance, must import
al/
of their
oi l and most of their chemical
fertilizers.
More than hal( the acreage of
wheat planted in India and Paki–
stan, over half the rice acreage in
the Philippines, and lesser but
still significant acreages in other
developing nations, are high-yield
varieties. Without heavy use of
chemical fertilizers and pesti–
cidcs, and without sufficient irri–
gation water at the right times,
yields from these grains would be
but litt le more than from tradi–
tional variet ies, and maybe even
less.
Take fuel and chemical fertiliz–
ers ou t of the Green Revolution
and its glamorous yields come
tumbling down. In recent years,
skyrocketing world oil import
prices and refining difficulties in
sorne nations have priced gaso–
line, diese! fue!, fertilizer and
pesticides out of the reach of
many developing nations' farm–
ers. Yields are declining in more
and more arcas.
Yet, food experts say develop–
ing nations must double or triple
fertlizer and pesticide use to real–
ize the full potential of the Green
Revolution. They must use ener–
gy-intensive agriculture to have a
chance at feeding future soaring
population growth.
Now that possibility has been
priced out of the reach of many
developing nations. So more and
more nations are forced to import
increasi ng amounts of food to
make up shortfalls in food pro–
duction. In fact, of the around
150 nations in the world, more
than 140 must import sorne or
sizable quantities of their food.
On1y
four
nations-the United
States, Canada, Australia and
Argentina-are majar food grain
exporters.
Food to Highest Bidders
You may assume that most food
exports from the handful of majar
food exporters-particu larly
from North America-go to the
hungriest nations. Just the oppo–
site is true. Seventy percent of
food exports go to advanced
nations with growing populations,
insufficient food-grain production
and affluent food demands–
especially J apan, Europe (includ–
ing Eastern Europe) and Russia.
The developing nations, with
1imitea cash reserves, compete
with affiuent nations for food.
The
PLAIN TRUTH