Welcome to Farm School
Jeff Nield, The Tyee
Every couple of months, for the past 10 years or so, I start feeling restless. The noise and chaos of the city intensifies in my brain to a point just shy of aneurism, I question the worth of whatever it is I’m working on and I develop a conspicuous facial twitch. My go-to stress relief in times like this is a recurring daydream I have about farming. This daydream generally has me frolicking in the fields all day, saying hello to the bluebirds and sunshine and feasting on nature’s bounty that bursts aplenty from the earth with little to no effort.
Daydream indeed. I’ve visited enough farmers on their farms to know that they rarely frolic, birds are to be shooed away from the new planting, and the bounty comes after a season of arduous toil.
Romantic notions aside, some research suggests that with the evolution of the global food system beyond peak oil a good number of us day-dreamers will need to snap out of it and actually get our hands dirty.
‘Local scale, human intensive’
“The agriculture that we should bring about substantially is local scale, human intensive, ecologically sound,” says Dr. Kent Mullinix from Kwantlen Polytechnic University. The director of Sustainable Agri-food Systems acknowledges that, “The fact of the matter is this post industrial agri-food system is going to require a lot of people, in particular a lot of farmers.”
Mullinix references the work of Richard Heinburg from the Post Carbon Institute whose research suggests that the United States will need up to 50 million new farmers to work the land and feed the people in a post carbon world. That’s roughly 17 per cent of the current population. Applying that number to British Columbia suggests that three quarters of a million of us will need to take up the hoe. At the moment, I’m feeling woefully unprepared…
(19 November 2010)
Another intensely informative series about exactly what’s involved in setting up local resilient food systems. Check the whole thing out. -KS
FoodWorks Unveiled: A New Vision for NYC’s Food System
Adriana Velez, Civil Eats
On Earth Day 2007, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled PlaNYC, his blueprint for city-wide sustainability. Conspicuously missing from this report was the role food could–and should–play in the City’s long-term sustainability. A little less than three years later, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer produced his FoodNYC report, a blueprint for food sustainability. And just this Monday, November 22, City Council Speaker Christin Quinn unveiled FoodWorks, the most comprehensive food report and blueprint the city has yet seen–a 59-point plan that cuts across the entire food system.The report was actually authored by City Council Senior Policy Analyst Sarah Brannen, with research by Gabrielle Blavatsky and Heidi Exline. The report provides unprecedented context, a clear snapshot of the city’s food system, what’s working, what’s not–and some strategies for reform and opportunities. It’s possibly the most comprehensive compilation of maps, timelines, graphs, and statistics ever compiled about New York City’s food system for the public. That alone makes it a valuable resource.
Senior Graphic Designer Antonio M. Rodriguez has created not just a visually accessible document, but an entire visual identity that brings the report to life. It’s literally a modular honeycomb with interchangeable–and interlocking–parts that create an entire system: “By addressing the system as a whole, we can begin to make connections throughout these phases, establish partnerships across sectors, and create more powerful, far-reaching changes,” the report states. The design is a brilliant illustration of what Speaker Quinn is trying to do with her report and blueprint–for this reason alone you really should read the report yourself. What follows is a brief tour of FoodWorks, with a bit of local commentary.
But first, a little context. Christine Quinn presented her FoodWorks report at the Food and Finance High School before an audience of colleagues, food justice and sustainability advocates, and other allies just months after Stringer had introduced his FoodNYC plan. Early into her remarks Quinn acknowledged that her report builds on the work of Stringer, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, and Mayor Bloomberg. Stringer has released a statement in support of Quinn’s initiative:
“I commend the speaker for her work on this important issue, and am heartened that her recommendations echo many of the same proposals as outlined in our February 2010 report FoodNYC. I look forward to working with the Speaker on these and other vital initiatives related to the city’s food supply system which if done right can improve both jobs and health. Given the range of policies and programs in the City surrounding food, I renew my call for the creation of an Office of Food and Markets to coordinate and lead systematic reform of the City’s food and agricultural policies.”…
(26 November 2010)
Scott Stringer’s report, FoodNYC can be found here. Christine Quinn’s plan is here. -KS
The Distillers Grains (DDGS) Export Market
Kalpa, big picture agriculture
My post on U.S. ethanol exports two months ago touched upon the subject of DDGS (distillers dried grains with solubles) exports. See “How Much Ethanol is the U.S. Exporting and Why?” In this post, I’d like to focus more exclusively upon our growing DDGS oversupply, since policy debate on the corn ethanol tax subsidy is timely.
This year 37% of the corn produced in the U.S. will be used to manufacture ethanol. Recently released USDA tight corn supply estimates resulted in an expression of concern by the United Nations regarding global food security and affordability.
DDGS product is most commonly used as fodder for ruminant livestock. Worldwide, the animal feed industry consumed 635 million tons of fodder in 2006.
According to the Renewable Fuels Association, a lobbying group for the U.S. ethanol industry, US dry mill ethanol producers are forecast to produce 33.5 million tonnes of distillers grains with a value of about $4.5 billion in 2010/2011. The U.S. market for the product is only 24 million tonnes. That means that we have a surplus of 27% of DDGS product here in the U.S…
(22 November 2010)
Global food prices may be even higher next year, warns new UN report
UN Food and Agriculture Organization
17 November 2010 – Global food import bills may pass the $1 trillion mark in 2010, a level not seen since food prices peaked in 2008, says a new United Nations report, which warns that harder times could be ahead without a major increase in food production next year.
According to the latest edition of the Food Outlook report, released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), food import bills for the world’s poorest countries are predicted to rise 11 per cent in 2010 and by 20 per cent for low-income food-deficit countries.
“With the pressure on world prices of most commodities not abating, the international community must remain vigilant against further supply shocks in 2011 and be prepared,” said the Rome-based agency.
With global cereal stocks expected to decline sharply, the report calls for boosting production to replenish inventories. World cereals stocks are anticipated to shrink by six per cent according to FAO, with barley plunging 35 per cent, maize 12 per cent and wheat 10 per cent. Only rice reserves are expected to increase – by six per cent.
“Given the expectation of falling global inventories, the size of next year’s crops will be critical in setting the tone for stability in international markets,” FAO said.
“For major cereals, production must expand substantially to meet utilization and to reconstitute world reserves, and farmers are likely to respond to the prevailing prices by expanding plantings.”
“Cereals however may not be the only crops farmers will be trying to produce more of, as rising prices have also made other commodities attractive to grow, from soybeans to sugar and cotton.
“This could limit individual crop production responses to levels that would be insufficient to alleviate market tightness. Against this backdrop, consumers may have little choice but to pay higher prices for their food,” FAO warned.
Global food prices could rise further if production next year does not increase significantly – especially in maize, soybean, and wheat, the report stressed.
According to FAO, the price of sugar – which recently surpassed 30-year highs – was a major reason for the rise in the price of the global food basket in recent months.
Meat prices have also risen but the increase has been far more contained so far, while butter has already hit an all time high, the agency reported. Fish also registered large price gains, showing a strong recovery after sharp falls since the end of 2008.
(17 November 2010)
The World Food Outlook report is here. -KS
