危及数百万人生活的粮食危机是会缓和还是随时间流逝愈演愈烈？答案可能是两者皆是。最近粮食价格的上涨主要是由像澳大利亚、乌克兰等国家的干旱这些暂时原因造成的。虽然现在急需大规模的营救工作，但最终时下的这种严重危机将结束。然而现象之后是一个根本性的问题，除非我们有所意识并试图解决，否则这个问题只会加剧。
这是个“双人记”。这个故事的一个版本是：一个有着很多贫困人口的国家突然经历快速的经济增长；但只有一半人享受到了繁荣。享受到繁荣的人将他们新增的收入花费在食品上。除非食品供应快速增加，否则价格就会暴涨。而另一半人则会面对更高的食品价格，收入却没有增加，他们就开始挨饿。这样的悲剧在世界上不断地重复。
The Rich Get Hungrier
WILL the food crisis that is menacing the lives of millions ease up — or grow worse over time? The answer may be both. The recent rise in food prices has largely been caused by temporary problems like drought in Australia, Ukraine and elsewhere. Though the need for huge rescue operations is urgent, the present acute crisis will eventually end. But underlying it is a basic problem that will only intensify unless we recognize it and try to remedy it.
It is a tale of two peoples. In one version of the story, a country with a lot of poor people suddenly experiences fast economic expansion, but only half of the people share in the new prosperity. The favored ones spend a lot of their new income on food, and unless supply expands very quickly, prices shoot up. The rest of the poor now face higher food prices but no greater income, and begin to starve. Tragedies like this happen repeatedly in the world.