Belly,
The issues bazz and I have been talking about are the result of over population.

The cost of fuel for growing and storage/cartage of food is directly related to the demand by higher populations. As is the cost of obtaining seafood. So we are not getting away from the original subject.

If we could solve the problem of overpopulation, the problems of food supply and fuel cost/availability would diminish, simply because of lowering demand.

What is required, and urgently IMO, is for the UN and governments of famine susseptable countries begin to address the human carrying capacity of their countries. If not wide spread deaths will occur, it is only a question of when.

If the current drought in US become widespread over the Northern Hemisphere there will be a shortage of food. If Nth Africa is affected by famine at the same time many deaths will occur, much higher than normally expected.

You, and some others, may put the cause down to human caused climate change. I do not, I consider climate change to be just part of mother natures grand scheme.

However this will not alter the fact that many will die of starvation simply because we are over populated.

Banjo;
If by magic the world population stabilised at its present level
because of contraception etc everything else being equal, starvation
would still set in as oil production declined.
Energy is fundamental to everything.
Fitting out farm machinery and food distribution for CNG would
certainly stretch out the time but the cost would be very high and
would push the cost of food up further.
Just how long would CNG last if we used it at the same rate as we use oil ?
Not very long I suspect. I don't know the answer to that.
Someone in the US said they would run out of CNG in a couple of years
if they were able to get it fast enough.

Frankly there are no easy answers.
Many will have to starve, I am afraid that is realism.

To give a Idea of the size of the problem.

The International Grains Council now predicts, world wide

6 million tons less corn
500,000 tons less wheat This is all less than last year.

I do not know exactly what this means in peoples lives, but it seems to me that some are going to be very hungry. There are more mouths to feed this year as well.

What happens if the drought continues next year?

Problem = Too many people

http://www.un.org/popin/data.html
This link too is of use in learning about the depth and width of the problem.
Yes Bazz as I have said, the problems you highlight are the children/product of over population, not the reason for population growth.
Banjo, surely you will agree the term *Mother Nature* is a man made one?
No nice old girl, or any one for that matter is watching over us.
Global warming, if it has any role in this thread, then in my view it would be as a side product of over population.
Seemingly,think about it, in yours it is just a natural event we can not avoid, for that reason I would leave it out, we can do some thing about population.
Graphs exist forecasting end of oil, using only 20% of todays use, and show population while slowing, still growing every year.
We need to see this can not go on forever, growth today may see mass deaths tomorrow.
I think the biggest threat humanity has faced so far is this one.

What happens if the drought continues next year?
Banjo,
Many of those who have next to nothing now will perish with the children they can't feed going first. The experts in making money out of other peoples' misery will get even richer whilst politicians the world over will continue to blame each other instead of working together for all.
Unions will ask for more money & businesses will charge more money to compensate for the union demands. And so the circus called society will rehearse for the next show.
Education will continue to prevent young from gaining common sense. The stupid will continue to advocate growth & the population will grow.

Belly said;
Graphs exist forecasting end of oil, using only 20% of todays use, and
show population while slowing, still growing every year.

Do you happen to remember where you saw that graph ?
I know what it is like when someone challenges you on something you
saw perhaps a year earlier, it is a pain isn't it ?

However it goes so far against what we can do today I would like to
see their reasoning.
It would have to mean 100% farmers I think.