Food Shortages in Africa and the Middle East

We are seeing mass migrations of people from the Middle East and northern Africa into Europe. Normally we are use to immigrants working in a country and sending money home for the family. The news reports show whole families with men, women and children in the boats. The driving force is the idea that any place is better than where they are coming from.

Most areas of the world support a maxed out number of people in good times. The amount of food and water is limited. Start a war, and you pretty much eliminate farming as an occupation. At that point people with guns are eagerly waiting for your harvest.

Oil used to be the great generator of income for many parts of the world. At $110 dollars a barrel, populations increased to balance the extra dollars. The drop in oil prices is like what the potato blight did to the Irish from 1845 to 1852. Populations increased because of the abundance of food and then collapsed. Starvation ensued—a million people died; plus the population of Ireland dropped 25% from emigration.

Oil has dropped 2/3’s in price. The old economic question of guns and/or butter is playing a major part in the wars around the Mediterranean. The areas could run out of money, food and farmers, before they run out of guns.

Middle East oil has some logistic problems. A 500 gallon truck can only haul 12 barrels of oil. And it is very unlikely that the driver would be able to sell the oil at $40 per barrel after delivering it to a refinery or an oil tanker. Most of the oil will have to go by pipeline. How this can be coordinated in a war zone is rather mind boggling to say the least.

The one thing that we know, is that this year’s budget in most countries is probably close in size to last year’s budget. The trouble is, if oil revenues drop by 2/3’s, production has to increase to make up for the shortfall. Since guns are not a food item, look for armament purchases to drop drastically. Look for oil production to triple to cover government expenses. Net effect, more oil will be pumped out of the ground than anyone could need. Oil could drop to $28 a barrel.

The indirect effect of the drop in oil prices and war in the Middle East could lead to starvation on a large scale. Escape or die in place.