While the developed world has begun to embrace green energy over the past decade, the governments of impoverished nations say the shift is keeping food out of the reach of the destitute.

Leaders like Bolivian President Evo Morales worry that farmers are turning their attention away from food production in favor of crops that yield products, like ethanol, that can be used for renewable energy. According to a recent BBC report, “Ethanol production is on course to account for some 30% of the US maize crop by 2010, dramatically curtailing the amount of land available for food crops.”

The effects of the shift have already been felt in Asia. The decline of cotton production in the United States because of corn subsidies for biofuel use has led to a dramatic increase in cotton farming in India. Soon, India will surpass the United States as the world’s second largest cotton producer — China is the first. That may sound like good news for Indian farmers, but there is a catch. Although cotton production has increased, its profitability has declined, and the effect on India’s farmers can be seen in the growing trend of suicide in rural parts of the country.

Watch the full episode of Wide Angle: The Dying Fields online, from 2007.