Current Food Production System Due For Collapse

[chlamor]

Current food production system due for collapse

World grain yield fell for four successive years from 2000 to 2003, bringing reserves to the lowest in thirty years. The situation has not improved despite a 'bumper' harvest in 2004, which was just enough to satisfy world consumption.

In too many food production regions of the world, conventional farming practices have severely depleted the underground water to the point where rivers and lakes have dried out, topsoil has been eroded away, and wild life decimated. At the same time, world oil production may have passed its peak; oil price hit a record high of US$58 a barrel on 4 April 2005, and is expected to top US$100 within two years. This spells looming disaster for conventional industrial agriculture, which is heavily dependent on both oil and water. The true costs of our current food production system are becoming all too clear (see Box 1).

Box 1

True costs of industrial food production system
• 1 000 tonnes of water are consumed to produce one tonne of grain

• 10 energy units are spent for every energy unit of food on our dinner table

• 1 000 energy units are used for every energy unit of processed food

• 17% of the total energy use in the United States goes into food production & distribution, accounting for more than 20% of all transport within the country; this excludes energy used in import & export

• 12.5 energy units are wasted for every energy unit of food transported per thousand air-miles

• 20% of all greenhouse gases in the world come from current agriculture

• US$318 billion of taxpayer's money was spent to subsidize agriculture in OECD countries in 2002, while more than 2 billion subsistence farmers in developing countries tried to survive on $2 a day

• 90% of the agricultural subsidies benefit corporations and big farmers growing food for export; while 500 family farms close down every week in the United States

• Subsidized surplus food dumped on developing countries creates poverty, hunger and homelessness on a massive scale

Getting our food production sustainable is the most urgent task for humanity; it is also the key to delivering health, ameliorating the worst effects of climate change and saving the planet from destructive exploitation. The benefits of sustainable food production systems are also becoming evident (see Box 2).

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/SustainableWorldInitiativeF.php

[Coastie for Truth]

1. A lot of paradigm shifts and "engineering tricks"

would go a long way.

Just consider micro-irrigation (as used in the ME and North Africa), and most definitely composting. (Just two off of the top of my head).

Our engineers tend to think in terms of energy intensive, high temperature, high pressure processing --- even when it is inappropriate. My favorite example is ethanol fuel - ADM uses very high temperatures and pressures (petroleum refinery levels) whereas Jack Daniels uses "standard temperature and pressure" - 70 degrees F and 1 atmosphere. Both get ethanol.

[megatherium]

2. I'm not a veggie but veggies have an interesting observation:

producing meat is less efficient than producing plants to eat; this is one of their arguments against animal products. So I'm curious as to how much food supplies can be extended if we grew less meat and more grain and other plant-based foods instead. Would this be capable of mitigating a world famine if an agricultural crash does happen? (Of course, we in the US could end up eating our hamburgers and steaks while we watch the horrible famine coverage on CNN. What a dreadful thought...)

[deacon2]

3. Quite true

It takes much more water and arable land to produce the grain to feed the cattle than to simply grow fruits and vegetables to feed humans directly. Of course, after you use up these resources on cattle food production, then you have to water the cattle too. I've been a vegetarian since 1987 more out of personal taste than for the reasons stated above, but the arguments are compelling. There's the "cruelty" factor as well, but most carnivorous folks I discuss this with seem immune to this and I don't want to get into a pissing match anyway. Nor do I really care to draw false lines of socio-political identity based on types of food consumed. It strikes me as trite and ultimately divisive. But I don't think it can hurt to know the reality of what's on our plates and what it took to get it there.

[LdyGuique]

4. Some random observations about over population and misuse

of resources --

1) It's part of the freedom and liberty that we extoll in the U.S. Isn't it strange that we have an obesity problem for all age groups? This is in part because we live useless lives that require little effort (burning of calories).

2) Many of our poorest are the most severely overweight due to bad diet -- but they hardly resemble the poor of sub Saharan Africa or in India.

3) Our wealthier spend billions of dollars annually attempting to lose weight.

4) Pet food for dogs and cats is an $11 billion industry.

5) 13 million pets are put to sleep annually.

5) Americans average 1,000 gal of gasoline PER PERSON/per year.

We know that Americans have been self-indulgent and have garnered a larger share of the world's resources on a per capita basis for a long time. Each and every person needs to take stock of their own lives and figure out where they can eliminate waste and then eliminate special indulgences and duplication.

But, the real underlying reason for much of the world's extreme poverty remains lack of birth control and exploitation of the poor. Six billion people are causing extreme environmental damage and loss of long term resources. Once the fresh water aquafer from the last full glaciation period of the ice age is gone, it's gone. Once oil resources have been depleted, they are gone. Once woodlands and forests have been cut down, drought conditions will likely prevent regrowth of most. We are on the brink of major change -- change that will be unplesant for some and disastrous for many others.

If gasoline goes up to $3.50 -- that will represent a $1 increase since this time last year -- and will represent a minimum of $1,000 per member of a household. For some with long commutes, the cost will be far higher. Either pay the price or learn to double-up.