How U.S. Policies Are Affecting the Global Food Crisis

Since 2007, food prices have been high and volatile, particularly for corn. This volatility has been caused in significant part by U.S. policies that encourage corn ethanol production and by the deregulation of financial markets that contributed to high levels of financial speculation on commodity markets. High prices have consequences far beyond U.S. borders.

In a recent lecture, Open Society Fellow Timothy A. Wise examined the effects of U.S. policies in Latin America and Africa and offered observations from his research so far, which has taken him to Mexico, Rome, Iowa, South Africa, Bali, Ethiopia, and Malawi.