The current debate on whether to use land for food or fuel is a complicated one. There are many issues surrounding it and not one single standard is used for its different variables. This makes it mired in controversy and very prone to misunderstanding.
The crop in question here is mainly corn. While other products like sugar cane and vegetable oil can be used for ethanol, corn is at the center for its main use in biofuel production that has a heavy impact on food supply and prices. Corn can be used for food, feed, and fuel.
The Huffington Post recently came out with a report on the various elements of food versus fuel. In here, a macro picture of American society and industry was examined. At the moment, a good portion of corn is diverted for biofuel. In 2013, 40% went to ethanol. This is in contrast with the year 2000 numbers which show only 5% being used for biofuel.
The biggest problem here is that the US is the world's largest producer of corn and much of it used for export, Forbes reports. Even without economic repercussions, this jump from food to fuel use has displaced the food supply of poorer countries which rely on American corn. Again in 2000, 90% of corn went to food. But in 2013, only 15% was used for food and beverages.
Another big factor for the reconsideration of food versus fuel is the fact that drought has hit the corn producing regions in the US. With falling supplies of corn for food, feed, and fuel use, the insistence on biofuel is starting to look very impractical.
In 2007, during the global financial crisis, the price of corn doubled. This had a wide-ranging effect as corn is used as animal feed as well. Price increases for products like milk, cheese, meat, corn-based sweeteners, and cereals were very much felt by global consumers.
Forbes puts it pretty plainly, "In 2014, the U.S. will use almost 5 billion bushels of corn to produce over 13 billion gallons of ethanol fuel. The grain required to fill a 25-gallon gas tank with ethanol can feed one person for a year, so the amount of corn used to make that 13 billion gallons of ethanol will not feed the almost 500 million people it was feeding in 2000. This is the entire population of the Western Hemisphere outside of the United States."
