Our
Precarious Food Supply
The
3000 Mile Caesar Salad
James Kunstler, author of
The Long Emergency, coined the
phrase "the 3000 mile Caesar Salad" to bring our attention to the fact
that very little of the food we rely on for survival is grown locally
anymore.
While most of us understand that processed foods, meats, and seafood
come from a long distance away, in most cases, we are typically unaware
that the
fruits and vegetables, which were once grown locally, now also travel
thousand of miles before landing in the produce department of our
grocer.
Long distance supply lines pose a threat to reliability. Various events
could lead to an overnight cut-off of the supply. Peak Oil raising
transportation costs to the point where the 3000 mile Caesar Salads
become uneconomical is just one example of a threat to our food supply.
For these reasons, a rapidly growing number of communities are taking
an
interest in fostering a local supply of basic foods. In this section
we'll begin to explore movements aimed at the localization of food
production.
 
Most grocery
stores stock only a three day supply of food.
For additional information on how Peak Oil
will affect your food supply, read:
Threats
of Peak Oil to the Global Food Supply by Richard Heinberg
Interview
with Richard Heinberg (audio file)
The
Oil We Eat by Richard Manning
Eating Fossil Fuels
by Dale Allen Pfeiffer
Civilization
Locked up the Food Supply
One
of the most
insightful points made by author Daniel Quinn is that
civilization has, in
effect, "locked up the food". It has achieved this by shifting food
production to distant specialists through division of labor. Whereas,
up until
one hundred years ago or so, most people either grew a portion of their
food supply or, at least, knew how to do so if circumstances required
them to, today almost no one would know how to feed themselves if
the normal supply lines were cut.
In the modern world, if you want to eat you have to play in the great
rat
race of modern life. Jason
Godesky sums it up nicely with the statement:
Of course,
the reason
we work is clear. The food is all locked up. Civilization passes out
tokens that can be redeemed for prizes at the counter, if you play the
game. But now none of us know how to survive outside this surreal,
horrific Chuck E. Cheese's, leaving us slaves to those games.
Jules
Dervaes of Path to Freedom echoes the
same message when he says:
In our society
growing food yourself has become the most radical of acts. It is truly
the only effective protest, one that can--and will--overturn the
corporate powers that be. By the process of directly working in harmony
with nature, we do the one thing most essential to change the world--we
change ourselves.
Unlocking
the Food Supply
These are some methods by which people are beginning to "unlock" the
food
supply and regain control over it.
A
Revolution Against Industrial Agriculture
This is a very good article in Mother Jones. Be sure to read the
additional articles linked to in the sidebar.
Slow
Food Movement
Community Supported
Agriculture
Permaculture
Additional
Food Supply Links
Weston A. Price
Foundation
The
Foundation is dedicated to restoring nutrient-dense foods to the human
diet through education, research and activism. It supports a number of
movements that contribute to this objective including accurate
nutrition instruction, organic and biodynamic farming, pasture-feeding
of livestock, community-supported farms, honest and informative
labeling, prepared parenting and nurturing therapies. Specific goals
include establishment of universal access to clean, certified raw milk
and a ban on the use of soy formula for infants.
Community Food Security Coalition
The
Community Food Security Coalition is a
non-profit organization dedicated to building strong, sustainable,
local and regional food systems that ensure access to affordable,
nutritious, and culturally appropriate food for all people at all
times. We seek to develop self-reliance among all communities in
obtaining their food.
More
information on becoming self-sufficient in food.
|
