Feeding the masses in 2050

The recent release of 21 scientific documents which address the overpopulation problem misses the point.  It's a high-tech response typical of scientists.  They propose manufacturing synthetic meat to feed the expected 9 Billion people worldwide by 2050.

The documents do argue that dependence on oil and other fossil fuels must be reduced for the world food system to survive.  Also argued is the fact that select multinationals led by Monsanto are accumulating intellectual property to the disadvantage of the global commons.  This cannot bode well for countries already struggling to feed its people.

Technical solutions to the world food problem will not improve accessibility to even the basic staple foods, nor improve its quality.  Food will still need to be transported around the world and doing that without oil will be very difficult if not impossible.  Local food systems combined with a steady-state economy and a worldwide effort to live within the limits of our environment are the only way forward. At the rate we're going we won't make it to 2050 without a lot of pain.  Our sustainability plan is still "overshoot and collapse".

UN Urges Meat Free Diet

This is so true.

"Impacts from agriculture are expected to increase substantially due to population growth increasing consumption of animal products. Unlike fossil fuels, it is difficult to look for alternatives: people have to eat. A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products."
"Agriculture, particularly meat and dairy products, accounts for 70% of global freshwater consumption, 38% of the total land use and 19% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, says the report"

[Guardian, June 2, 2010]
I've made an effort to cut out red meat from my diet. So far so good - I rarely eat it anymore. I made the decision after watching Food Inc.

Eat Local

Food and Transportation prices rising=permanent recession

From the Oil Drum/by Brian Gordon:
If all food approaches the price of organic food, everyone not currently buying organic will see their food budget increase proportionally. As food is a necessity, cutbacks will be made elsewhere. Entertainment, purchases of non-necessities, etc. will decline, reducing jobs in those sectors.

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6268

Homegrown Revolution: Urban gardening in Passedena California

Here's a video with the right messages:  Freedom to grow and eat healthy, tasty food right where we live; eating imported out-of-season food is not sustainable in a post-peak world.

Growing in all seasons is possible in southern California, not in Canada.  But, we can preserve, can, use cold storage, drying fruit, etc.

Food Inc.

A friend loaned me this video, and for the love of food, see it. What an eye opener. Here is an interview with the producer and with the author of the The Omnivore's Dilemma.

Food Inc - official site

Monsanto's official rebuttal to the movie.

Watch the 3 minute trailer:

Deceiving: "Inflation Rate Stays Negative"

Because of the many figures and calculations that go into the CPI, it's impossible to extract anything useful from it.  From the CBC article, lower prices for gasoline this past year was the downward force, but important key items were pushing higher:

Food prices continued to be the main driver of inflation with a 2.8 per cent annual gain last month, although that is less than the four per cent increase registered in August. The biggest increases came in the price for fish, which rose 8.8 per cent, and for sugar and confectionery, up 8.7 per cent. - full story

So while overall prices are decreasing, fish and other food prices are rising swiftly and consistently.  I suspect this trend will continue, as demand for these items increase in developed and developing countries and as food production and energy costs rise. 

Local food production is one way to add resilience in our food supply.  Food from local farmers, community gardens or your own backyard tastes better, contains no chemicals and has a lighter carbon footprint than trucked-in high-cost food.