Just read the following:
The world will lose 8% to 20% of today's food-producing cropland by 2050 as a result of land degradation, urban expansion, and conversion of cropland to biofuels production.
Meanwhile, each day 200,000 more people must be fed by the world's farmers...
Hmmm....I can't really wrap my head around these numbers but seems like a situation that is anything but ideal. More people + less fertile land=disaster as far as I can see. And why would we care about driving around in biofuel vehicles to our well-lit offices and grocery stores (if there's any real food in them at all) if our stomach's are growling?! I like to tell myself that these numbers are based on what has been and is currently happening with the world's (and our nation's) farming, development and consumerism practices. If we can take a major u-turn with our behaviors as consumers perhaps these lands won't be in such bad shape when our population is expanding so greatly. And on that note...our population growth does seem a bit out of hand. I know it's due to people living longer (for variouis reasons...another blog for another time)...but with our food supply dwindling in quality and quantity...well it's a HUGE issue we all need to be cognisant of. Much to think about!
-Julie
Sources:
Nellemann et al., "The Environmental Food Crisis," A UNEP Rapid Response Assessment, 2009
The Organic Center's, "The Scoop"
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
From Seeding to Eating
About Me
- Greener Partners
- We are contributing to the resurgence of farming activity within the Greater Philadelphia region by transforming public spaces and underutilized land into community teaching gardens and forward-thinking farms. By reestablishing sustainable, organic farming operations, Greener Partners is impacting the way people think about their food and the environment. Greener Partners is engaging local schools, camps, and communities to bring children and their families outside to develop a better understanding of how the natural world is our future.
Julie, you are right on!
ReplyDeleteWhat is also frightening is the West Coast drought threatening to turn off water supply to thousands of farms! We can bet that food prices later in the year are going to soar - all the more reason to grow like crazy in our own backyards this season... and all the more reason to transform public space into productive vegetable gardens!!! Keep up the great work, you guys are awesome.