As Food Prices Surge, So Could Amazon Destruction
Vast areas of idle land in Brazil could be part of the solution to the world food crisis but there is a danger that surging prices will lead to more burning of the Amazon rain forest. Experts say deforestation in the Amazon closely tracks moves on global food markets as farmers along Brazil's vast agricultural frontier react to the prospect of greater profits by cutting trees and burning the land to make way for pasture or crops.