Donate Bitcoin

Donate Paypal


PeakOil is You

PeakOil is You

The Spreading Global Food Crisis Thread pt 2 (merged)

What's on your mind?
General interest discussions, not necessarily related to depletion.

Re: Alternative Solution for US food crisis

Postby Fishman » Fri 29 Feb 2008, 18:33:47

Ludi, I think you are correct. Potatoes and sweet potatoes go the distance for calories per square foot. Foraging can at best be an add on. Joeltrout, one problem will be fertility of the lawns/landscape. I've had soil samples sent for my lawn (and garden) and added greensand and phosphate rock, the longest lasting sources I could find.
User avatar
Fishman
Intermediate Crude
Intermediate Crude
 
Posts: 2137
Joined: Thu 11 Aug 2005, 03:00:00
Location: Carolina de Norte

Re: Asian nations worried about food supply

Postby DomusAlbion » Fri 29 Feb 2008, 18:36:45

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Kristen', 'w')ell population growth is decreasing at 2.1 million people per year and should peak between 2020-2029. That might help things out a bit, if we can make it that long.


The problem is that oil production will peak much sooner, if it hasn't already done so. When this happens food will get more expensive to produce and distribute and the population curve will fit the oil depletion curve on its way down, just as population increased along with the rise of cheap energy.

This is a cruel equation but it will be unavoidable. We will have to take care of our own and the rest be damned.
"Modern Agriculture is the use of land to convert petroleum into food."
-- Albert Bartlett

"It will be a dark time. But for those who survive, I suspect it will be rather exciting."
-- James Lovelock
User avatar
DomusAlbion
Expert
Expert
 
Posts: 1979
Joined: Wed 08 Dec 2004, 04:00:00
Location: Beyond the Pale

Re: Alternative Solution for US food crisis

Postby joeltrout » Fri 29 Feb 2008, 18:38:41

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Fishman', ' ') Joeltrout, one problem will be fertility of the lawns/landscape. I've had soil samples sent for my lawn (and garden) and added greensand and phosphate rock, the longest lasting sources I could find.


One help would be if people would build a couple of compost boxes and use them faithfully. Even putting orange peels and coffee grounds in gardens can help a lot. Composting can work miracles and if done properly doesn't take too long.

joeltrout
joeltrout
Heavy Crude
Heavy Crude
 
Posts: 1297
Joined: Wed 19 Sep 2007, 03:00:00

Re: Alternative Solution for US food crisis

Postby kokoda » Fri 29 Feb 2008, 18:46:20

The real question is whether you could grow adequate food without fertilizers and pesticides.

Plus of course any complete breakdown of society would mean that people would simply steal all of your crops anyway.

In any post PO world there will probably be disorder until the population level drops to a sustainable level.
User avatar
kokoda
Coal
Coal
 
Posts: 440
Joined: Thu 24 Aug 2006, 03:00:00

Re: Alternative Solution for US food crisis

Postby Ludi » Fri 29 Feb 2008, 18:49:01

All Ecology Action papers are about growing food without commercial fertilizers or pesticides, so that sort of research has already been done. It is perfectly possible to grow large amounts of produce without commercial ferts and pesticides, it may simply be a bit more difficult or just different. I don't use any of those sorts of products myself. No pest problems to speak of. Soil fertility is increasing every year, as are yields.
Ludi
 

Re: Asian nations worried about food supply

Postby Synthicide » Fri 29 Feb 2008, 19:33:49

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DomusAlbion', 'B')ack at you, dood (your extra special spelling).

I suggest you learn to read (and spell as well).

"Did I say all people in 3rd world nations? No, I said many, which is a true statement, and not contrived of naivity (sic)."

I never said that you said "all". I acknowledged your statement as true, however, I applied the same statement, or logic if you will, to Westerners. In other words you really added nothing to the discussion except to call people names and to be self righteous.

You sound as if you’re a young person, lacking experience of the world as it is and always will be, “World without end. Amen”
A sad state, but you're not going to change it, nor can anyone.


Dood. Several of the people in here are wishing the death of others for their own gain. There's nothing self righteous about calling these people selfish. I wanted to let them know that many of the people they want dead for their own gain, would gladly share what they have with them. Maybe it would change their thinking.

Just because I didn't mention that there are good and bad people on both sides of wealth does not mean that I do not know. Don't be putting word into my mouth, so that you may claim your superiority over me. You in fact are not adding to this discussion, but merely claiming your superiority in world affairs. Good for you.

This is a message board. I am here to bring a different perspective, not to agree with the drivel in this topic. If you don't like it, you are free to disagree, but don't put words into my mouth.

I am 30 years old, that could be considered young, but that fact does not make your opinion any greater than mine. I am just trying to change the attitude of some of the people here. The world is a shitty place, of course I know that. The enormity of how shitty it is will not silence me from trying to change attitudes and people. I am by no means a great humanitarian, but if I can change some attitudes and promote understanding amoung people, I will do it.
User avatar
Synthicide
Wood
Wood
 
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri 29 Feb 2008, 04:00:00

Re: Alternative Solution for US food crisis

Postby patience » Fri 29 Feb 2008, 19:45:06

Somewhere, in the permaculture thread, I think, I mentioned that 10 years ago USA TODAY staed that the largest acreage of any single crop in the US was GRASS, in lawns. More than corn, soybeans, or wheat. Surely, that much acreage could make a dent in our food needs. Especially in suburbia, where the residents often have a 1/4 acre or so.
User avatar
patience
Resting in Peace
 
Posts: 3180
Joined: Fri 04 Jan 2008, 04:00:00

Re: Asian nations worried about food supply

Postby Synthicide » Fri 29 Feb 2008, 19:57:26

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DomusAlbion', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Kristen', 'w')ell population growth is decreasing at 2.1 million people per year and should peak between 2020-2029. That might help things out a bit, if we can make it that long.


The problem is that oil production will peak much sooner, if it hasn't already done so. When this happens food will get more expensive to produce and distribute and the population curve will fit the oil depletion curve on its way down, just as population increased along with the rise of cheap energy.

This is a cruel equation but it will be unavoidable. We will have to take care of our own and the rest be damned.


Unfortunately for the US, their dollars will continue down the path to becoming the worthless paper that they are. Everyone will take care of their own, including corporations. American corporations will export their food for real money, rather than keeping it in local markets for American chump change. Americans will be the ones suffering from food shortages, not the rest of the world. Much the same way as the the Irish starved to death, as their food was exported out of the country during the potato famine. It's already happening now, with domestic buyers being outbid on their own country's produce.
User avatar
Synthicide
Wood
Wood
 
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri 29 Feb 2008, 04:00:00
Top

Re: Alternative Solution for US food crisis

Postby steam_cannon » Fri 29 Feb 2008, 20:07:49

Two points here...

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('kokoda', 'T')he real question is whether you could grow
adequate food without fertilizers and pesticides.
There are actually a lot of options for the small farmer. Mulch,
humanure (night soil), agrichar... Mulching for a 10 mile wide farm
field doesn't work well, but for a three acre field, yeah it can work.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('kokoda', 'P')lus of course any complete breakdown of society
would mean that people would simply steal all of your crops anyway.

In any post PO world there will probably be disorder until the
population level drops to a sustainable level.
Well, you know the old saying... "Good fences make good neighbors."

When the soviet union broke down someone in the family might end
up staying up all night watching the cucumber patch... That's how it
may be for us. And of course there are plenty of examples of farm
invasions in Africa as famines hit...

The key think to keep in mind is "clever wins".
* Have some walls already built around your farm...
* Own materials to install barbed wire or alarms as necessary.
Stainless Steel Razor Wire and stainless barbed can both be kept
out of the way, even buried until needed...
* Plant food people won't recognize as food. Plant jerusalem
artichokes, they don't need the flowers and if you cut the tops off
they look like worthless weeds (with tubers under the ground)...
Make your area more foragable: Alder Catkins (thanks oowolf)...
* Maybe grow some unusual beasts: Termites, crickets, beetles, worms, frogs...
* Build a dirt floor shed and bury casks with 10 years worth of food in it.
* Have nightvision to keep an eye on your fava beans...
* Form a neighborhood crime watch group, that protects each
other's gardens, great use for paranoid elderly people (hahaha).
* Get in with law enforcement or new local authorities...
* Hounds and other dogs...

There are a lot of options which can ensure that you have food...
But I think cleverness is key.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SILENTTODD', 'T')hanks for bringing this up steam_cannon you know a lot more
about American history than most Americans.
:lol:
Well, there's no reason I shouldn't, I've lived in Ukraine before but
I'm still from the US and back in the US. Maybe I read to much into
what you were saying...
User avatar
steam_cannon
Expert
Expert
 
Posts: 2859
Joined: Thu 28 Dec 2006, 04:00:00
Location: MA
Top

Re: Alternative Solution for US food crisis

Postby Fishman » Fri 29 Feb 2008, 20:30:07

Perhaps those breaking into your garden would make excellent nitrogen sources for your plants. Lets see, native american used dead fish for their corn.....
User avatar
Fishman
Intermediate Crude
Intermediate Crude
 
Posts: 2137
Joined: Thu 11 Aug 2005, 03:00:00
Location: Carolina de Norte

Re: Alternative Solution for US food crisis

Postby one_more_day » Fri 29 Feb 2008, 20:47:02

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('FoolYap', 'A')s for saving money, I'm not convinced most people can do that, today.

--Steve


I spent exactly $25 on my garden last year. It was my first year. I calculated the value of my harvest at over $150. And that did not even take into account that this was fresh, organic produce. I compared it to conventional "cheap" stuff.

...but I do have to admit that a lot of people get scammed by thinking that they have to buy everything at top dollar. There are cheaper alternatives to most of what the gardening catalogues are selling.
User avatar
one_more_day
Peat
Peat
 
Posts: 74
Joined: Sun 27 Aug 2006, 03:00:00
Top

Re: Alternative Solution for US food crisis

Postby patience » Fri 29 Feb 2008, 21:09:57

steam cannon,
My daughter and son in law are planting blackberries around their place. Ever seen an 8 ft high blackberry thicket? Rabbits have to hunt to find a way through it. Barbed wire is pretty cheap, too. and the rusty stuff is free sometimes, when farmers are clearing fencerows.
User avatar
patience
Resting in Peace
 
Posts: 3180
Joined: Fri 04 Jan 2008, 04:00:00

Re: Alternative Solution for US food crisis

Postby Ludi » Fri 29 Feb 2008, 21:11:36

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('steam_cannon', '
')When the soviet union broke down someone in the family might end
up staying up all night watching the cucumber patch... That's how it
may be for us.


I hope folks won't waste too much time and energy growing cucumbers, which contain relatively little food value.
Ludi
 
Top

Re: Alternative Solution for US food crisis

Postby FoolYap » Fri 29 Feb 2008, 22:07:37

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('one_more_day', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('FoolYap', 'A')s for saving money, I'm not convinced most people can do that, today.

--Steve


I spent exactly $25 on my garden last year. It was my first year. I calculated the value of my harvest at over $150. And that did not even take into account that this was fresh, organic produce. I compared it to conventional "cheap" stuff.

...but I do have to admit that a lot of people get scammed by thinking that they have to buy everything at top dollar. There are cheaper alternatives to most of what the gardening catalogues are selling.


Yes, exactly. I should have said, "I'm not convinced most people know how to do that today." Or, I'm not convinced most people can do it because of the way they're gardening today.

--Steve
User avatar
FoolYap
Coal
Coal
 
Posts: 472
Joined: Sun 04 Sep 2005, 03:00:00
Location: central MA, USA
Top

Re: Asian nations worried about food supply

Postby DomusAlbion » Fri 29 Feb 2008, 22:08:57

Per our other discussion. Yes, there are some real dicks on this thread, but I suspect they're just talking trash and are not worthy of your high dudgeon and you certainly are not going to convert anybody to your way of thinking by calling them names.

"Much the same way as the the Irish starved to death, as their food was exported out of the country during the potato famine. It's already happening now, with domestic buyers being outbid on their own country's produce."

Sorry to disagree with you again but this is a poor analogy. Ireland at the time was ruled and dominated by a foreign power; the English. The United States is sovereign and not ruled by multinational corporations. Any threat to the general populace would be rectified by legislation and failing that by the people through force of arms and we, as a people, are well armed.
"Modern Agriculture is the use of land to convert petroleum into food."
-- Albert Bartlett

"It will be a dark time. But for those who survive, I suspect it will be rather exciting."
-- James Lovelock
User avatar
DomusAlbion
Expert
Expert
 
Posts: 1979
Joined: Wed 08 Dec 2004, 04:00:00
Location: Beyond the Pale

Re: Asian nations worried about food supply

Postby Pretorian » Sun 02 Mar 2008, 02:25:16

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Chesire', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pretorian', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Chesire', 'I') wouldn't give the average third worlder a bucket of my shit to fertilize their garden.


That's a good idea. Will you pay for shipping and handling? I am glad that storage is not an issue in your household :)


Glad to see another person to stupid to make compost out of available materials . Would you like to apply for a position of neutered plow animal now ? or wait till society collapses ? :lol:


no, but i would like you to keep squeezing your turds so the compost will be almost as cheap as your life and farmers will have it for next to nothing and provide a year supply of corn for my cat's litter-box for a tiny fraction of my hourly wage.
Now you are welcomed to spray your monitor with saliva till this thread dies, and your worthless existence will die with it for me. good riddance I say.
Pretorian
Light Sweet Crude
Light Sweet Crude
 
Posts: 4685
Joined: Sat 08 Apr 2006, 03:00:00
Location: Somewhere there
Top

Re: Asian nations worried about food supply

Postby DefiledEngine » Sun 02 Mar 2008, 05:05:26

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')I wanted to let them know that many of the people they want dead for their own gain, would gladly share what they have with them. Maybe it would change their thinking.


Yeah, the kind of people who have no idea about peak oil or overshoot, or have never themselves experienced severe shortages.
User avatar
DefiledEngine
Lignite
Lignite
 
Posts: 344
Joined: Thu 19 Aug 2004, 03:00:00
Top

The Rome Summit: Stop the Food Crisis

Postby virgincrude » Mon 02 Jun 2008, 11:04:30

Here's an online petition to be presented to Ban Ki Moon on Wednesday, (if they reach the One Million signatures) telling the leaders gathering there to get their heads out of the corporate feed trough and take concrete measures to stop the ongoing food crisis.

Please take a minute, this organisation is one of the best run activist sites, and believe it or not, these simple actions (signing online petitions) can get results. They rarely solve anything, but often they make things better. Isn't that better than nothing?

avaaz.org Stop the Food Crisis
User avatar
virgincrude
Tar Sands
Tar Sands
 
Posts: 516
Joined: Thu 09 Mar 2006, 04:00:00
Location: Al-Mariyya, Al-Andalus

Re: The Rome Summit: Stop the Food Crisis

Postby Ludi » Mon 02 Jun 2008, 12:40:38

Stop the Food Crisis: Promote birth control.

http://www.populationconnection.org/
Ludi
 

Re: The Rome Summit: Stop the Food Crisis

Postby vetusfirma » Mon 02 Jun 2008, 13:01:00

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('virgincrude', 'H')ere's an online petition to be presented to Ban Ki Moon on Wednesday, (if they reach the One Million signatures) telling the leaders gathering there to get their heads out of the corporate feed trough and take concrete measures to stop the ongoing food crisis.

Please take a minute, this organisation is one of the best run activist sites, and believe it or not, these simple actions (signing online petitions) can get results. They rarely solve anything, but often they make things better. Isn't that better than nothing?

avaaz.org Stop the Food Crisis


Truly, it is not better. All you do by feeding people who will never be able to feed them selves is:
1 Prolong the agony
2 Help them make more poor.

It should be required that free food be laced with permanent sterilization drugs.
HOLDING THE CENTER
vetusfirma
Lignite
Lignite
 
Posts: 214
Joined: Sun 25 May 2008, 03:00:00
Location: West KC
Top

PreviousNext

Return to Open Topic Discussion

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

cron