ABSTRACT
In 2008, skyrocketing food prices were the source of riots and destabilization in almost thirty countries around the globe. From Haiti to Egypt to Panama and the Philippines, rising food prices created turmoil for countries reliant on imported foodstuffs. Was this the specter of Parson Malthus? Had global population finally outpaced our ability to produce food? Or was it simply the workings of a commodity super-cycle brought on by growing global demand from the BRICK countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and Korea) combined with supply disruptions from poor harvests?
