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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] The way we produce, distribute, transport and prepare our food

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Emery Mitchamore <emitch@att.net>
  • To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] The way we produce, distribute, transport and prepare our food
  • Date: Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:20:52 -0600

The article describes the (undesirable) conditions of our current agricultural system.  As I understand it, 100 years ago, about 40% or our population was involved with agriculture, but not producing enough food to keep up with population growth.  My question is whether, as some have asserted, the real change came after WW2 as a way to sell the nitrate production of wartime industry.  I felt it might help for people to know how we drifted into this situation.  For many of us, it's tempting to focus inward and tune out the news, but we are still affected by the government's policies.  Unpleasant as it may be, we need to be aware how those policies affect us and to attempt to influence those policies.  I thought a historical reminder might help.

On Dec 9, 2009, at 9:39 PM, Tradingpost wrote:


I don't understand the question.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 12/9/2009 at 5:32 PM Emery Mitchamore wrote:

Is it correct that most of this happened after WW2?

On Dec 9, 2009, at 4:21 PM, Tradingpost wrote:


FOOD
http://www.communitysolution.org/food.html

The way we produce, distribute, transport and prepare our food is a
major consumer of energy in the U.S. In fact, the heavily industrialized
food chain accounts for about 20% of the U.S. fossil fuel use, or 400
gallons of oil equivalents per person each year. While the food crisis has
flared in many parts of the world over the last few years, that crisis
that will only deepen as energy prices rise. Here are some surprising
facts about our food system that everybody should know:

» Approximately 10 Calories of fossil fuels are currently required to
produce 1 Calorie of the food eaten in the U.S. ˆ a direct result of our
highly industrialized process (pesticides, fertilizers, farming equipment,
manufacturing, storage, and transportation).

» To produce one Calorie of plant protein requires 2.2 calories of
fossil fuel energy. To produce one Calorie of factory-raised beef protein
requires 25 Calories of fossil fuel energy.

» Less than four percent of agricultural land in the U.S. is dedicated
to highly nutritious foods like legumes, nuts, fruits and vegetables. More
than 85% is devoted to crops that are either fed to animals or used in
highly processed food.

» Because the U.S. government‚s farm policy favors large farms and
monocultures like wheat, corn and soybeans, the price of fruits and
vegetables climbed approximately 40 percent between 1985 and 2000, while
the price of soft drinks (sweetened by corn syrup) has declined by
approximately 23%.

» Livestock are a major emitter of greenhouse gasses (18% worldwide).
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, more greenhouse
gasses are generated from livestock production than from transportation.

Solution: The choice of the food we eat has a major impact on the
environment and changing how we eat can contribute directly to a less
energy-intensive way-of-life. Garden, eat seasonally, avoid highly
processed foods, sodas and canned soft drinks, avoid factory-raised meat,
and eat locally-grown and/or organic food as often as possible.




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E. E. "Mitch"  Mitchamore
www.hillcountrynatives.biz








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