Food prices are rising because demand is rising because populations and living standards (in some countries/sectors) are rising.  Production isn't keeping up because energy, wage and input costs are rising (for farmers in the developed world) and because of land availability issues in much of the underdeveloped world.  On balance higher prices will help stimulate more production, but this exacerbate existing problems of land availability and income inequality.  Greater counter market government interventions are required to counter-act this growing income inequality but neo-liberalism frames such interventions as market distortions.  Of course they are - just as famine in a world of plenty is a moral and humanitarian distortion.  Which is the more important frame of reference?

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