Since this discussion ran on willyoujoinus.com, both oil and grain prices have declined significantly, partly due to the economic downturn and to the effects of higher prices on supply and demand. Because prices are likely to remain volatile, however, the discussion remains quite relevant.
Participants in the discussion felt that food crops should not be used to produce biofuels; rather, non-food biomass such as switchgrass and wastes of various kinds should be exploited for this purpose. They suggested several ways to boost food and energy production independently, and recommended policy changes so that the two would not be in competition. While they acknowledged that biofuels production from corn is a contributor to higher food prices, they felt that politics and inequitable economic systems, not biofuels, are responsible for world hunger and poverty.