My March 18th blog was about the risks posed to world wheat crops by a particular plant disease called Ug99. An alert reader sent me the link below with more extensive information on this subject, and the topic is so important that I’m passing it on to all readers for additional information on just how bad this crisis could become.
The link meticulously documents the extent of the current threat posed by Ug99 and the growing dangers it will pose to global what crops in future years. It has the striking observation that 90% of the world’s wheat crop strains are vulnerable to this wheat virus. It also reports that a similar wheat stem virus wiped out 1/3rd of the USA’s wheat crop during a year in World War I so this kind of wheat plague has already happened in North America. It has a useful map charting the spread of Ug99. It has recently been found in Iran and the most vulnerable nations according to current projections are Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
This path for the Ug99 wheat disease includes ominous dangers that go beyond mere food shortages (prophesied in Matthew 24:7 and Revelation 6:5-6). Interestingly, Revelation 6:6 specifically prophesies that wheat will be one of the types of food which will be rationed as the latter day sequences of crises worsen. Could Ug99 fulfill that prophecy about wheat shortages in the latter days? Matthew 24:6-7 also prophesy that “wars and rumors of wars” will become more common in the latter days. If there are massive wheat shortages in various nations, food wars could break out within nations or between nations. Nations with lots of weapons and little food will almost certainly go to war with neighboring nations to seize food supplies rather than have their people passively starve. Ug99 is now present and is spreading more widely in a very volatile part of the world.
While the natural wind currents seem to indicate that it will only be a matter of time until Ug99 affects all nations’ wheat supplies, it could spread much faster if Ug99 spores are shipped between continents on ships unknowingly hauling infected wheat supplies from one nation to other nations. I am quite concerned that eco-terrorism could also spread this threat to global wheat crops much quicker than anyone expects. Terrorists who get their hands on the Ug99 wheat spores in Africa, Arabia or Iran (areas where terrorists have come from) could easily transport the spores to the wheat belts of the USA, Canada, Australia, etc. and cause food shortages very quickly. It seems the prophesies of Matthew 24:7 and Revelation 6:5-6 about famines and wheat shortages in the latter days are certain to be fulfilled. The only question is how soon will these famines and wheat shortages strike the nations?
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/02/ff_ug99_fungus
