Who's for Dinner?

I remember having a conversation with an American some five odd years ago about food. I was naively trying to impress upon him the urgency of knowing how to grow and prepare your own food. Try as I might, my infantile line of reasoning did nothing to convey my point. Indeed, at the time, my point was one that sounded like conspiracy and must have seemed to be more paranoia than common sense. He could not agree with me. Wal-Mart, Winn-Dixie, Publix and any other supermarket were always well stocked with food.

If my American friend and I had that conversation today, I would have no difficulty in convincing him. Now, merely five years later, the US is faced with rations with certain retailers limiting the amounts that consumers may purchase with respect to essentials like flour, rice, and cooking oil. If we are to believe Western media and by extension propaganda, then this can be attributed to two main factors, namely, the rise of a huge middle-class in Indo-China, and the displacing of agricultural land by the more lucrative bio-fuel industry.

However, such a narrow view would lead only to an incorrect diagnosis as other factors are being largely ignored. Firstly the over zealous use of fertilizers, though exponentially increasing crop yield in the short-term, does the opposite in the long-term. Therefore, fields that were once brimming with produce, now fight to give mere fractions of what they were previously capable. Some fertilizers are in fact like steroids for soil, giving immediate benefits suited for shorter goals, yet damaging the soil in a way that compromises longevity. Secondly basic math illustrates that the current food shortage will only worsen. Since land is a limited resource and global population is growing how then, can we use less land to produce more food? More agricultural land is cleared for development projects in nations of the global south (3rd World). For decades, economics has taught that in order to develop, these nations must move away from such agriculturally intensive economies and produce manufactured goods. In a nutshell, we have spent the years after WWII lessening the portion of land in use for food, while world population has been increasing. The rate at which arable land is disappearing and waters are becoming polluted, it looks as if this is only the start of what will in years prove to be a crisis in every sense of the word.

Undoubtedly, upon reading this other factors will come to your minds. It is important to not simply accept what media shoves down our throats. They would have us believe that the world will starve because of the rise of non-white nations. India and China have only been following the path of development as lad out for them by Western powers. They have been very good boys and girls in adopting this, and now they seek to nourish themselves. And yes, this increased demand is causing stress on the world's food supply. But five years ago, this was also the case. The same Western economists who advocated massive expansion of these economies and the investment bankers who invested huge amounts of foreign capital into these economies were only focused on profit. No one thought of the effect that more manufacturing would have in the long-term. Greater industrial need for land fostered competition for space, and in some spaces the alternative use was agriculture. Since firms are focused on earning profit, this is overlooked.

This condition makes the space that we control as individuals, families, communities, villages, towns and cities, one of great potential.For a garden at home, a compost heap, seedlings, and some water is all you need. Grow easy crops like seasonings and peppers. You may only save a little every month, but a little adds up over time. Knowing how to plant in these times is important. I myself have been gardening for years. There is nothing as rewarding as reaping, preparing and eating your own food. But if you don't have a green thumb and everything you try to plant falls flat, try cannibalism and start with a 'PH' driver.