Peter Haase from Buffalo Horn Ranch wrote a great piece for his monthly newsletter. I am posting part of it, with his permission, because he is able to sum up some of the issues currently affecting our global food system. Go to http://www.buffalohornranch.ca/index.htm for more info on Buffalo Horn or for information to sign up for their monthly newsletter.
Peter Haase writes:
As I pen these words a few flakes of snow are falling on the tiny green blades of grass that are struggling to find a few rays of sunshine, promising to grow into a lush crop of grass if the rains come. This has been a dry winter and spring so far, with little snowfall and no rain yet. Fortunately last summer and fall were wet, so there should be some reserve moisture in the soil. This is the time of year that farmers around the globe anticipate new beginnings and a new crop. About 60 bison calves are due to be born over the next several weeks and in about a month and a half the grass should be long enough that their moms will not have to eat dry hay again until the snow falls next winter.
Over the past several months I have been following the news of crop price increases, international shortages of rice, wheat and other foods. Food riots are happening in Mexico, Haiti, Pakistan and many other countries of the world. India and other countries are placing export bans on rice and other foods to ensure a sufficient supply at home. In Canada some of our food prices have actually fallen because the rising Canadian dollar allows us to buy more produce and processed foods from the U.S. for the same amount. The story is different in the developing world where many families who have traditionally faced a food bill of 50% or more of their take home pay, are now having to contend with price increases of 50% or more to feed their families. I guess that new 42 inch flat screen HD TV won’t be hanging in many living rooms in the Philippines this year.
I have a strong interest in food issues around the world. It is my business. This is how we put the bread on our table. But, being involved with the Slow Food Terra Madre movement, http://www.terramadre.info/ , we have become united with farmers around the world. We all face many of the same issues. Some of these have faced farmers since the beginnings of agriculture, 10,000 years ago. Will we get the rains we need for our crops, will pests such as grasshoppers destroy my crop, will my livestock remain healthy? Other issues facing farmers today include the globalization of the food system and control of the food supply by a handful of multinational corporations to which food is just a commodity to be traded around the world to the highest bidder. At one time a society required a stable local food system in order to survive. Civilizations like the Sumarians, Mayans and countless others collapsed when their local food system failed due to environmental changes. Today, thanks to cheap oil, we have developed a global food system that allows us to transport food around the planet. Countries like Ethiopia were encouraged to plant crops like coffee instead of food crops. The revenue from these cash crops would allow them to buy corn grown in Kansas or Iowa. But things are changing, the oil supply is tightening. There is a policy to turn much of that food corn (over 30% of the U.S. corn crop this year), into ethanol to fuel our cars. We still want our coffee from Ethiopia, but if they want our corn (if there is anything left), they can now pay the going price, which by the way, will cost 50% more than last year.
We probably don’t have to worry much here in Canada, we are a huge exporter of food, mostly grain and meat, but we are also large importers of fruit, vegetables and processed foods. We are a very wealthy country and even if we had a complete crop failure in Canada, we would be able to buy food from the developing world, even if it meant starvation in Africa. We are also expanding our military might, as are other western nations and if they won’t sell it to us, we’ll just take it. We still need to protect and expand our local food system in Canada by providing a reasonable living for the farmers’ time, effort and risk to put food on your table.
The point I am trying to make today is that we take our food for granted in North America. It has always been plentiful and cheap (10% of our take home pay). Consequently, we think very little about our food. What I encourage everyone to do is to think about your food, where it came from, who grew it, the environmental and social costs of producing the food and putting it on your table. Become more aware of what you are eating and you will enjoy and appreciate it more. Food is a blessing and a basic human right that should be universal. Unfortunately it’s not.