Food crisis

World leaders bickered this week over what policies — or whose policies — were more to blame for the international crisis that has left an estimated 1 billion people without adequate food supplies.

The three-day gathering in Rome to discuss the food shortage, climate change and energy became a forum for speakers to assail policies of other nations while defending their own practices.

Biofuels, or use of corn, sugar cane and other crops, proved to be a contentious issue. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer spoke on the benefits of biofuels, such as ethanol, which is heavily subsidized by the United States despite concerns among environmentalists.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva, defended the superiority of his country's biofuels made from sugar cane. He also lashed out at "absurdly protectionist farm policies in rich countries." It was an apparent reference to the United States, which adds a 54-cents-a-gallon tariff on imported ethanol.

U.S. officials in turn criticized trade barriers in other countries.

Cuba insisted that the final document from the summit include language condemning the U.S. embargo against it.

The role of biofuels in soaring food prices worldwide is debatable. American officials attribute 2 to 3 percent of the overall increase to biofuels. The International Monetary Fund says it is much higher at 15 to 30 percent of the increases.

Conference attendees also talked about food aid policies. Officials from some countries want more direct financial contributions to groups to purchase food and to help in developing agriculture in poor countries rather than waste money on shipping food from outside the countries or region.

The U.S. Agency for International Development spends 50 percent of its food aid money on transporting food purchased in the United States.

The digression caused concern.

Jose Maria Sumpsi, director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, said, "Sometimes I think the discussion is not focused on the need of countries and poor people." But he was hopeful that policy differences would not prevent nations from responding to the immediate needs of hungry people.

A final summit declaration is expected to address issues such as trade restrictions and biofuels, but those are long-term policies that might alleviate the problem. However, they must not distract from the immediate crisis of feeding starving people.