LOGO: Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines. A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman.  
November 10, 2009
Log in / Register

 Choose a size
Text Size

Most Read

Afghanistan's Sham Army

Kucinich: Why I Voted No

When a Time Bomb Is Ticking

Goldman Sachs Becomes 'SNL' Punchline

When Voters Disrupt the Tea Party

Most Comments
Most Emailed

Reports
 * NEW! * When a Time Bomb Is Ticking
Kucinich: Why I Voted No

Ear to the Ground

A/V Booth

Arts & Culture

Digs
Financial Meltdown 101
Vetting Sarah Palin

Truthdig Bazaar
Cover

Playing President

By Robert Scheer
Paperback $13.16

more items

 
Ear to the Ground

Back to the Farm

Email this item Email    Print this item Print   
Posted on Jun 3, 2008
corn
Flickr / mattdente

Humankind’s steady migration from fields to cities may have to take a slight detour. There are a lot of people in the world now and feeding them is becoming a problem. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told world leaders we face a “historic opportunity to revitalize agriculture,” warning that production would have to go up by 50 percent over the next 20 or so years.


BBC:

Mr Ban told a UN-sponsored summit in Rome that food production would have to rise by 50% by 2030 to meet demand.

Mr Ban said export restrictions and import tariffs ought to be minimised to alleviate the crisis.

The summit comes as food costs have reached a 30-year high in real terms, causing riots in several countries.

The host of the conference—the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)—has warned the industrialised countries that unless they increase yields, eliminate barriers and move food to where it is needed most, a global catastrophe could result.

Read more

More Below the Ad

Advertisement


Elsewhere: .

Comments

Are you a Truthdig member yet? Login now, or register with Truthdig.

By webbedouin, June 3, 2008 at 10:12 pm #

Yeah well, out here in the Sierras, we’re starting to grow our own.  If for no other reason that the cost of gas to go to the store is significant enough to consider.

But it is true that the continuing growth of humankind will eclipse the supply of each & every commodity available before too long.

The fact is we are experiencing exponential growth in world population.  And that, my friends, is the stuff bubbles are made of.  That is be they dot.com, real estate or human population.

For a look at the bubble we humans are in, see http://ldolphin.org/popul.html  If this were a financial market one would say that the trend is not sustainable.  Sell human futures short…

It’s gonna get real weird out there before too long, good luck y’all…

Report this

By Duke, June 3, 2008 at 6:18 pm #

Argie,
No argument the ‘fiesta’ is over. It is clear that what we need are new ways of looking at and solving current problems and learning a better way to live on the Earth. Yes there will be collapse this is change. I did not mean to suggest in my post that we should deal with the current food crisis with a more creative use of the corporate/civilized structure that has brought us to this point. Only a new seed will yield a new crop. You bring a good point in the use of the word collapse. The more we can act as a positive catalyst to make this transition/collapse into a progressive event the sooner new solutions arise to global problems.

Report this

By Argie, June 3, 2008 at 4:35 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Earth to Duke: Hello?
I’m sorry to break it to you but, each year there are 77 million new mouths to feed in this planet.
We’ve come thus far, thanks to the fossil fuel endowment but the oil fiesta is over and we won’t feed 6.5 billion people without it.  Period.
The return to the farm will be all but inevitable.
Which is a good thing, should we be able to carry on with the ‘unlimited’ growth of industrial civilization we’d choke in our own fumes and waste.
The only vision we need right now is one to limit population growth and power down the growth machine.  It won’t happen.  What’ll happen is overshoot and collapse.  Collapse is the only hope for this planet’s survival.

Report this

By Duke, June 3, 2008 at 10:51 am #

Certainly there are limits but we are far from those. The biggest limiting factor today is a creative vision focused on nourishing everyone everywhere on the planet. Letting the family farmer back on the farm, more emphasis on local production, exposing the big lie in Ethanol and taking back the production of our food from those who’s priorities are not first and foremost nourishing to life would be a good start.

Report this

By cyrena, June 3, 2008 at 9:21 am #

So true, so true Jackpine. And, there is little to be done about the first unfortunate, and not much to change the basic nature of the second unfortunate. (though they can be controlled).

The third unfortunate we CAN hopefully fix. It’s not because there is a lack of overall commonsense, it’s just lacking in the places where policy is made in governmental institutions.

THAT has to change!

Report this

By Purple Girl, June 3, 2008 at 9:17 am #

This Agri Business mentality and profiteering is literally Killling US, the World and doing a grave diservice to the Livestock we are meant to be the Stewards for.
Real Farmers KNOW they must cae for their animals to assure a competitve Product- care and health are vital to their bottom line. The mere fact a Farmer must commit unfailing dedication to the care & health of these animals to survive in a FREE MARKET protects US all.
They are the ones who go out - Willingly- to the Barns in the Dead Cold Nights to assist in Birthing, they are the ones who clean and maintain the envrionment regardless of persoanl health & safety. No Corp owned Enterprise can compare to the Heart of a Family Farmer. they can No t Hire nor train this into any employee- it is in their blood- their very fiber!
The numerous food Borne Illness are directly related to the lack of true commitment and personal economic survival. Not just the lack of hands on rearing and care, but the ability to ship their tainted products around the Country & the World. thus enlarging the number who will be effected by their lack of Proper animal Husbandry Practices.
Then consider the level of compassion a hands On farmer mus thave towards those he works so hard for EVERYDAY, then consider the 9-5’er who has no such relationship with the animals- Just a factory line worker. This relates directly not only to the abuse & neglect of these animals but to the detachment which results in ablity to Scoop one up and push it into the Slaughter house. Not just a crime against that animal, but to those who will consume it -soemwhere else, Not His problem, just trying to make it through the day and get my check and go Home.
Corporatizatin has done Great harm in many sectors (health care, education, prison management, MILITARY) and places All Of US at Great Risk!

Report this

By jackpine savage, June 3, 2008 at 7:57 am #

Unfortunately, there is a limit to how much a plant can yield and there is a limit of arable land…and there is a limit to the water needed.

More unfortunately, there is no limit to the greed of commodity traders and multinational agricultural corporations.

Even more unfortunately, there is very limited commonsense in the halls of the development organizations and governmental institutions that set agricultural policy.

Report this

Add Your Comment

Posts by unregistered readers are moderated. Posts by members
are published immediately. Why wait? Register today!







Number of characters remaining: 4000

Notify you when others comment on this article?


Are you a human?
Retype the word you see here.


Please read and abide by our comment policy.
By submitting this comment, you agree to this site's terms and conditions.

 
Click here to learn more about Truthdig
 

 
Join the Liberal Blog Advertising Network
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman.
Copyright © 2009 Truthdig, L.L.C. All rights reserved.