Food crisis sooner than we think - Ottawa Citizen

by ScottK
(Merrickville)

"The British government has a new strategy to ensure a sustainable, secure food supply for the next 20 years. Canada’s political leaders, by contrast, haven’t even begun to talk about this."

That's a quote from today's Ottawa Citizen. It goes on to say that demand for food continues to outstrip supply, driven partly by the changing diet of countries such as China.

What this means is 'developed' countries like Canada will soon no longer be able to rely on cheap food imports to feed their population.

The article goes on to say that agriculture — particularly conventional fertilizers and livestock production — is a major contributor to global warming, which in turn threatens crops, land quality and water supplies. The concept of “food security” must now include environmental sustainability.

The solution, according to Britain's Environment Secretary, is for consumers, rather than retailers, to lead by buying "greener" food, wasting less and growing more of their own: "People power can help bring about a revolution in the way food is produced and sold" states Hilary Benn.

Food businesses, supermarkets and manufacturers would follow consumer demand for food that was local, healthy and had a smaller environmental footprint – just as consumers had pushed the rapid expansion of Fair Trade products and free range eggs in the last decade, Benn said.

Oh wow, 'breaking news' that me and every one of my environmentally-aware friends has been talking about and taking action on for the last 20 years!

Amazingly enough, it only took a couple of decades for the 'pooh-bahs' to catch on. Better late than never, guys.