The front page of The New York Times has an AFP photo that sums up an intersection of issues and technologies that are going to drive the world’s affairs in the months and years to come, IMHO.

The photo shows Somalis, displaced by fighting that is in part caused by the migration of populations displaced by a drop in already-marginal water supplies, gathered around a U.N. food distribution operation. The accompanying article points out that food distribution to the world’s poorest will shrink greatly this year because of sharply higher food prices.

The rise in corn and soybean prices is being driven in part by the ethanol-production craze in the U.S., while climate-change driven drought – another water issue – has caused wheat prices to rise. Water shortages and the unintended consequences of ethanol production from food crops is causing a tragedy that could lead to greater world instability. China, the U.S. and the U.N. are already locking horns over events in Africa.

Technology alone can’t solve this issue, but the least we can do is try to move technologies that can help – like celulosic ethanol production and better water management technology – from the lab to the field. If you figured in the cost of massive population displacement, celulosic ethanol’s higher cost vs. corn might well be offset. So-called ‘Translational Technology,’ moving from lab to production, should be a focus for Green Tech investors…

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