Bryce completely missed the point. It isn’t about energy. It’s about agriculture. Many have tried to debunk the “food or fuel” debate. Among other things. they state that food is plentiful and current fuel crops only account for a tiny percentage of overall production. They tell us that people starve because they’re victims of an inequitable economic system, not because they’re victims of scarcity and overpopulation.

Where shall I start? Do these “experts” believe an inequity that has only grown worse this past century will be resolved any time soon, or ever? It’s easy to be optimistic on a full belly. Yes, the total food production worldwide may be more than enough to feed the world, but it’s obviously not making its way into the hands of all who need it. It is reasonable to assume this inequitable distribution will continue to be the case into the foreseeable future.

Any re-purposing of “existing or excess agricultural capacity” will undoubtedly have an impact on food production. Whether the increase in fuel crops would make food less available is a matter of debate. But one can be certain overall worldwide food production, as a percentage of total agricultural output, would definitely decline.

Next…current fuel crops are only a small fraction of total production because the concept hasn’t taken off yet. You can bet that percentage will increase dramatically if the demand for biofuels skyrockets. Corn/cane crop prices would go through the roof and farmers looking to maximize profit would undoubtedly focus on fuel crops. It’s no different than the situation with farmers in Afghanistan who’d rather produce cannabis and poppies. By comparison, food simply does not pay as well…unless you raise the cost of food, or subsidize it.

Pundits claim this is a complex issue and attempt to discredit “food or fuel” as an oversimplification. I say, no…it IS just that simple. It’s about the bottom line, maximizing profits.

We know it. The farmers know it. And investors would happily stoke the fire.

If we begin using crops as a primary source of fuel (even if we can overcome the inefficiencies of production) we’ll only make a bad situation worse.