Food prices to double

[paul123456]

Hello there ,

another factor which will make prices rise is that land is being used for the production of solar power , acres are being
filled in with panels . Secondly in the race for more power acres are being planted with Corn and rape , thus less food .
Farmers who manage to stay in business will keep on receiving lower prices , making it less attractive. Then only the big
Qucumber factories will survive making more killer qucumbers , but if people eat them food won't be that scarce as people will
die out .

regards ,

Paul

[locum76]

Hello there ,

another factor which will make prices rise is that land is being used for the production of solar power , acres are being
filled in with panels . Secondly in the race for more power acres are being planted with Corn and rape , thus less food .
Farmers who manage to stay in business will keep on receiving lower prices , making it less attractive. Then only the big
Qucumber factories will survive making more killer qucumbers , but if people eat them food won't be that scarce as people will
die out .

regards ,

Paul

hhahahah, thats really funny.

[RuthG]

As I understood it, the 'killer cucs' were organic

[contadina]

A thought-provoking follow-up in the Guardian about the damage down to developing nations under the guise of agro-trade-aid. It's not a coincidence that Cuba, the one country in the region who has receives no "aid" form either the IMF nor the US stands alone as the one that can feed itself. It's a racket of truly despicable proportions.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-develo ... em-failure

[Green Aura]

How much have food prices risen in the last 19 years?

[RuthG]

It is comments like "When a food price spike occurred in 2008, the price of corn locally was 240% higher than the year before" (taken from the article mentioned above) that show the poorer will be even poorer while the rich just get richer. It is so wrong - human beings are expendable for the sake of the few who want more, more, more.

[123sologne]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that the western world wastes enough food each year to feed the rest of the world. So in theory, we could all slim down and that might go some way towards balancing out population growth - but easier said than done!

Quite right, maybe then the past date on fruits and veg which are not even ripe will disappear and they wont' go to the bin!!!

[RuthG]

Is the US still dumping ship loads of 'waste' wheat into the sea (bad for the sea and fish stocks), because it is 'uneconomic' to ship it to somewhere where people are starving?? They certainly were in the 80s.

It is not just 'waste' food that is an issue. In the US and UK, large proprtions of the population have 'large proportions' ie they overeat and are killing themselves with food and lack of exercise. If only some of them started growing their own, they would realise just how hard it is to prioduce food and maybe they would eat less and waste less. There are so many knock-on effects - global warming from all that waste rotting; diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes etc, from overeating; people starving to death - and their chuildren - for lack of food, while we throw away enough to keep them alive!

Sorry, this is a topic that really gets me going!

[gregorach]

Hmmm... For a doubling time of 19 years, I calculate the annual inflation rate as approximately 3.75%. Isn't exponential growth marvellous?

[greenorelse]

As I understood it, the 'killer cucs' were organic

What little I've heard about this is that the compost they were grown in was contaminated and the conclusion is that the material didn't go through the correct thermophilic stages when being composted.

Would washing the cucumbers help, does anyone know?

What worries me is that these scares could lead to yet more invasive and choice-limiting regulation. If you want to prevent death and misery, banning cars would be more effective, if you see what I mean.

[niknik]

Hmmm... For a doubling time of 19 years, I calculate the annual inflation rate as approximately 3.75%. Isn't exponential growth marvellous?

I´m glad you worked that one out!

I was starting to think that 20 yrs wasn´t actually that long when one looks at it!, and in factsome items here have doubled in about 8 years, mind you some (mainly imported Brit products have gone down quite a bit as demand increases! )

The moreworrying factor is the peaking of food production ( allegedy) in just over10 years, but population still growing , at a faster pace!, and of course the uneven distribution of resources.....
not heard before about the US dumping wheat, and what are these monster cucumbers being referred to?, but we´ve seen buter"mountains" milk "lakes" etc etc......... why? .all in the name of profit!

Not really an issue for us ISHERS, I shouldnt think, but the waste each household has is what everyone needs to address first.

I have to plead gilty ( years ago) that I like many wasted a lot of food...... pastsell-by- date- surplus to requirements, etc etc..... not any more!

Finances don´t allow it , but even if they did, I´m just much more conscious of it all.

Leftovers, become another meal.... and if not enough or not used soon enough, go to dogs, cats.
veg rice, pasta..... to chickens ( mind you prob only veg left over)
the compostheap benefits from the rest,
Paper /cardboard.......... to make paper logs, or use as fire starters, some in compost or as weed suppressants
so tat only really leaves tins, ( well I buy nearly nothing in tins... ( maybe a dozen or so a year), glass jars.reused for jams etc..... and plastic.......... ( argh.... that is a problem)
but everything recycled if cant first be re used!

Maybe they should bring in a "rubbish inspection police" . check everyone´s waste. and fine/tax accordingly......might make a few people think

[niknik]

Hello there ,

another factor which will make prices rise is that land is being used for the production of solar power , acres are being
filled in with panels . Secondly in the race for more power acres are being planted with Corn and rape , thus less food .
Farmers who manage to stay in business will keep on receiving lower prices , making it less attractive. Then only the big
Qucumber factories will survive making more killer qucumbers , but if people eat them food won't be that scarce as people will
die out .

regards ,

Paul

n this area, the solar plants........... are mainly, in the desert area. ( Almeria has ( at present) the only official desert in Europe ( though Salisbury plain in 1976 came a close 2nd )
Another nwer one, is being instaleed in the mountain areas where the quarries are ( marble). they are re-landscaping it , and crops are not viable cos of dust etc.but solarpower is!.

Windfarms..again the nearest one, is in an area that is not much good agricultural wise, suffering from an extreme micro-climate. with very low winter temps ( -15C or less, and extremes in summer too )as well as extreme wind....... , basically only much good for a wind farm!

[locum76]

I once, fairly recently, drove across Spain from Santander to Barcelona. I was very impressed with the HUGE number of wind turbines set up there across the landscape. The land was maybe not quite desert but was very dry and dusty. It seemed like a very good thing to me. It seemed that there was wind farms the entire breadth of the country.

[bonniethomas06]

Although it is frightening to think of food prices doubling, we only spend 15% of our annual income on food now (well, 2008) and in 1957 the figure was 33% (according to the Telegraph).

So it has halved in 50 years, and we are simply going back to what it used to be. I am sure life wasn't as much fun in 1957, but the population survived?

[niknik]

Although it is frightening to think of food prices doubling, we only spend 15% of our annual income on food now (well, 2008) and in 1957 the figure was 33% (according to the Telegraph).

So it has halved in 50 years, and we are simply going back to what it used to be. I am sure life wasn't as much fun in 1957, but the population survived?

Now that is interesting!.......
Have to try and work out what % I spend. though somewhat difficult to quantify some aspects, ie water consumption for home grown etc, and extra elec ( where applicable ) for storeage of home grown!