Dan Stevens, Vice-President, Global Operations, CCFC

Much of the dialogue regarding the looming food crisis has been predicated on the belief that the stress is caused by a global shortage. However, as many economists have noted, the current food crisis is less about supply and more about demand.

By most estimates there are enough crops being produced to feed the world; the problem lies in the usage and distribution of these crops. In most places there are no absolute food shortages, just skyrocketing costs on existing supplies. The challenge is to lower domestic prices and ensure populations are able to handle the projected 20-50 per cent increase in food costs—especially for those who live on $1 a day (the measurement of absolute poverty).

As CIDA Minister Bev Oda has noted, the government is "working with the international community to find a longer-term approach," but I would encourage her to also look right here for Canadian made solutions that help mitigate the effects of food price increases on the poor before agricultural solutions have time to take root—literally and figuratively.

Canadian NGOs have been working to circumvent the need for a "blank cheque" approach to relief aid by setting up programs that help insulate poor communities from critical food shortages and cost increases by: providing capital to cope with cost increases; increasing regional food supplies; giving the poor more control over the distribution chain; and improving calorie utilization.

Micro-enterprise loans can be provided at a fraction of the cost of emergency relief aid, and provide new income generating activities to help cope with increased expenses. A focus on helping marginalized women become entrepreneurs has the potential to double a household's earning capacity.

Opportunities for farmers and food producers to combine resources will increase purchasing power and access to new technologies for greater local crop yields—as well as offset the transportation costs to and from new markets—ensuring that local surpluses are spread regionally. "Savings clubs" can promote entrepreneurship in commodity brokering, and provide leverage for small poor farmers against larger competitors.

It is also important that steps are taken to help the extremely poor optimize limited food supplies by ensuring the efficient use of nutrients. Providing medical care—not just in times of crisis—reduces diseases that cause vomiting and diarrhea, and introducing more nutritious crop varieties increases the number of calories available.

While there is an inherent conflict between the long-term planning and investment required for successful international development and the transitory nature of the positions that house political decision makers, the effective use of Canadian aid dollars requires elected officials to move beyond satisficing.