Abstract

REYES GUZMAN, Gerardo. Oil and food. Economía UNAM [online]. 2008, vol.5, n.15, pp.83-98. ISSN 1665-952X.

The present article intends to shed lights to roll of ethanol in the global food crisis. It is assumed that the crisis itself is a complex problem, attributable to more than one factor. Thus we are only in the position to point out trends. In the first section we analyze the case of the United States of America as corn producer champion worldwide and its plans to industrialize ethanol in order to diminish the consumption of fossil fuels. The second section points out the main side effects of the global food crisis in the Mexican macroeconomic equilibrium, especially in the price level. The third section discusses the bottlenecks derived from the programs implemented by the Mexican government and designed to counterbalance the food crisis. Finally we summarize the main characteristics of the food crisis emphasizing in its possible solutions. At the same time we outline the lack of consistency in the ongoing public programs tailored to control inflation.