Well, just when you think the worst is already here with the economy, job losses and rising prices on everything we consume and need for our survival, guess what is around the corner? Possibly food shortages???? We already are aware of the shortages taking place worldwide. Grain production was keeping up with demand until recently. Unfortunately, worldwide consumption has surpassed production in seven of the past nine years. If we don’t have the stockpiles, environmental disasters severely impact prices. The price of wheat and corn has tripled and rice has increased in price even more. The old “supply and demand” theory. Add to this climate change with shifts in temperature and precipitation, we have a disaster on our hands. Brazil is still destroying rain forest with one million acres going into “toast” annually. This conversion into farmland is not sustainable. The soil nutrients are used up and farmers move on — burning down more forest. Nothing is planted as regrowth and when it rains, it floods. What a heavy toll on our environment and the precious species, medicinal properties and plant life destroyed forever!
It is astounding when you think about it. The Consultative Group in International Agricultural Research projects that by 2050 there will be a world population close to nine billion! Since 1950 to 2009 the world has produced the largest population ever in the history of humanity! If we can’t double our current food production by 2030 we will be a hungary world and experts are doubtful that we can. It is projected that meat consumption will double by 2050.
What is the plan for our food crisis? Crop scientists employed by corporate agricultural giants like Monsanto intend to continue genetically modifiying seeds (which they patent and insist that farmers buy new seed year after year to boost their profits) which have been modified to resist insects, use less fertilizer and hold up to drought. They intend to double the yields of corn, cotton and soybeans by 2030. It is my opinion that the jury is still out on how safe genetically alternated food seed is. I have read some disturbing scientific data in opposition of genetic engineering our food in the laboratory. It is a process of artifically inserting genes into the DNA of food crops.
The poorest billion people on the planet spend 50 to 70 percent of their assets on food. Here in the United States $20.00 does not buy you but four to five items at the grocery store. The United States Post Office recently put on a food drive collecting donated food items at mailboxes to help out local food banks that cannot keep up with the demand any longer to feed our hungary here in the United States! What a dilemma!
Tags: climate change, food shortage, modified seed, rain forest destruction, world population
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