Worldwide Observations
Climate
We are living during a time of dramatic climate change as observed in our own neighborhoods. Objectively, we can see, and unfortunately many have personally experienced, continuing drought and large fires in California and Australia. Or unusual storms and historic flooding in the Midwestern part of the USA, India and Bangladesh. Or unusual cold and blizzards. Futurists are predicting major changes in what grows where, where wildlife migrates, and a very high human population impact resulting in climate refugees.
Farming Land
There is limited land suitable for food crops and with rising seas there will be less workable land in the future. Futurists now are considering changes in the uses of land, new farming techniques, and continuing or growing reliance on GMOs to help feed the world. All the while businesses and farmers are destroying forests and habitats in the effort to find more farmland, to produce more food, and make a profit while feeding a growing human population.
Clean Water
There is limited clean, potable water and many futurists are predicting “water wars” and major population migration due to lack of clean water. Meanwhile, the demand continues to grow for highly inefficient foods, for example, almonds need a lot of water, but is the nut + its nut milk worth the use of all that water? Futurists are saying we need to look at this as a math equation, is x worth using y resources? Or put another way, life on earth can survive on minimal food, but without water life dies.
Ag Practices
Various futurists are calling for revamping lots of farming and agricultural practices. For instance, our food distribution system has significant food waste during processing. Food crops are being used to feed farm animals or our cars, not to feed people. Limited farmland resources are used for non-food products or nutrition-lacking highly processed foods. Some futurists write we need to focus more on protecting soil, seed and plant diversity
Food Staple Situations
Food staples are traditionally local food common in a particular region that consistently provide calories (i.e., energy) to humans, and over time become the dominant source of nutrition. Often these are the basic carbs that many people consume. Although these foods contain nutrition, by themselves they are not enough and must be augmented with other foods.
The Situation With US Corn
Most people would agree that farming exists to help feed people. But the US governmental view is not in line with that thought, per its policies and subsidies for corn, for example:
- is not primarily a food crop
- receives more governmental subsidies than any other crop
- has more US land dedicated to corn than any other crop
- uses up most of the fresh water for irrigation
- is mostly GMO and its seed is owned by corporations
- requires tremendous amounts of chemical fertilizers
The situation with corn specifically is that this system has been created by greed, as represented by lobbyists, trade associations, international big businesses, and the government. This is not the farmers initial doing, but they do play a part, because of financial realities — corn pays.
- ScientificAmerican: Today’s corn crop is mainly used for biofuels (roughly 40 percent of U.S. corn is used for ethanol) and as animal feed (roughly 36 percent of U.S. corn, plus distillers grains left over from ethanol production, is fed to cattle, pigs and chickens). Much of the rest is exported.
- ScientificAmerican: Only a tiny fraction of the national corn crop is directly used for food for Americans, much of that for high-fructose corn syrup.
The Situation With Farmlands
We have a large amount of land capable of supporting food crops. Most of that land is being used to raise livestock. Of the remaining, large portions of the farmland is growing plants not for use as food (such as corn). So while there is pressure for farmers to convert more land to crops, to help feed a growing population, we are not using the land we have very well. Expansion into forests for additional farmland reduces our plant and animal diversity, impacts climate and waterways, and causes more harm.
- AnnenbergLearner: As of the year 2000, about 37 percent of Earth’s land area was agricultural land. About one-third of this area, or 11 percent of Earth’s total land, is used for crops.
- NationalGeographic: an area roughly the size of South America is used for crop production, while even more land—7.9 to 8.9 billion acres (3.2 to 3.6 billion hectares)—is being used to raise livestock
The Situation With Edible Plants
Of the thousands of plants that humans can eat, we are turning into a mono-agricultural planet; humans subsist on only ~15 main plants. At the same time, this type of agriculture is leading to problems. Many of us, around the world, are unable to consume enough food and nutrients to support a healthy body. The animals, land, waterways, and forests are affected by growing only a select few crops. Diversity is being lost.
- National Geographic documented that while 50,000+ edible plants exist, humans use just 15 to provide 90% of the world’s food energy.
- World-wide, one in seven people have insufficient energy and protein within their diet to maintain health and well-being (Godfray et al. 2010) (10).
The Situation in California
We are living during a time of fast and tremendous environmental change. The dangerous effects of climate change will change all aspects of our agrculture as we experience it daily.
For my state:
- The bay area and California is becoming hotter
- We are receiving less rain and thus have less of a snowpack
- The state will become dryer, with more periods of drought
- For too long central valley water use has drained reserves
- Bottom line? Less clean water will be available
- We will lose land to the rising ocean and experience more flooding
- Leading to saltwater contamination of our freshwater delta and levee systems
- There will be more fires and they will be more severe
- There will be more air pollution from soil loss, fires, cars, etc.
- Central parts of this state, the food basket, will become a dust bowl
- Animals and birds are moving, and plants are moving too
- People can move, but climate change effects everything everywhere
What Can We Do
So what can we do to help us, our family, and our neighbors in terms of food and drink that will not cost much?
- Get rid of grass and go for the front yard desert look
- Garden the back yard for fruit, veggies, and herbs to support wildlife
- Plant at least one food-bearing tree in our yards
- Coordinate with neighbors and share the bounty
- Limit meat eating and expand our notion of protein
- Reduce food waste and start composting for the yard
- Buy and cook with a mix of staples, eat in season
- Reduce reliance on pesticides
- Consider a rain garden to reduce runoff
- Catch rain in rain barrels for use in the garden
- Consider solar and other alternative power sources
- Live smaller, consume less
Truthfully Though…
Let us be honest here, while we know what should occur to lesson negative impact on the land, it is not easy. First, is the matter of cost. Changing things costs money, fixing a back yard, adding solar panels, setting up a rain garden, all take $$$.
Second, is finding the time to do these things. Home cooking does take more time, as does gardening or any of the other things we can do to lesson impact. (I cannot tell you how many things I have put off, “for once I retire.”)
Third, is the critical question of our ability to actually uproot our current lifestyles to something else, something less, something more in line with what we know we should do. It is hard to change and hard to instill new habits or ways of being in the world.
So yes, I do have a revised back yard that deals better with water run off, installed a drip system in front and back, and have an active food-focused garden with herbs, plants, and fruit trees that supports wildlife. And, I have installed solar power this year. But we had to save up the money for these changes and they are being done piecemeal, as we can. So while I may write about, and argue we need to change our lifestyles, I know we cannot all do everything that is suggested.
The only thing we can do, is what is within our capacity. The goal is just to stay hopeful, healthy, live gently, and do not give up!
–Patty
–**–
Recipe: Peanut Veggie Stew
MedIndia: (1/14/2020) Minimizing the intake of food kept in the aluminum package can decrease potential health risks, reports a new study. They advised against the preparation and storage of, in particular, acidic and salty foods in uncoated aluminum articles or aluminum foil.
Salon: (1/12/2020) We are big steps closer to solving Celiac disease, an autoimmune reaction to the wheat protein gluten. …just this week, Australian researchers published a study in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology linking bacterial exposure as a possible environmental risk factor for developing the disease. In the study, researchers explain receptors from the T cells of celiac disease patients recognize protein fragments from certain bacteria that are similar to gluten. “That is, it’s possible that the immune system reacts to the bacterial proteins in a normal immune response and in so doing develops a reaction to gluten proteins because, to the immune system, they look indistinguishable — like a mimic.”
TIP: Need ricotta in your recipe, but you do not have any? Easy to just take cottage cheese and put in the blender to smooth out the curds. You will then have a good alternative.
