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June 27, 2008 at 13:38:58

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End Global Food Crisis Now

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By Tony Ryan (about the author)     Page 2 of 3 page(s)

opednews.com     Permalink

Selective breeding Although the media, and especially science publications, have lauded selective breeding, there has been a serious downside. Species have been promoted that are suited to mass marketing, at the expense of those that are resistant to drought, flood and disease. Species that have already adapted to local environments are becoming extinct, thus eliminating an important range within the gene pool. There is widespread evidence that this may soon have a significant impact on food crop and animal survival rates in the aftermath of global warming or cooling.

Trade hegemony and imperialist policies As a means of dominating markets, major nations have forced the elimination of alternative species of food types. The experience of Australia's Northern Territory illustrates the seriousness of this. The United States forced Australia to eliminate a large proportion of its cattle herds, to eliminate bovine brucellosis and tuberculosis, or suffer exclusion from the long-standing meat export quota that was the sister agreement to the ANZUS Treaty. This was both hypocritical and phoney as the US retains these same diseases in its livestock, especially in the Dakota region. Moreover, the Northern Territory was forced to entirely shoot out its water buffalo population; which was the world's largest pool of lean clean meat. Although the collaborating Murdoch media presented buffalo as being 90% infected, in fact the average infection rate was less than 2%; an extraordinarily low rate for feral animals. This is because less than 1% of the NT landmass is cleared; providing a unique opportunity for natural food harvesting, instead of risk-endemic farming. Meanwhile an embryonic multi-billion dollar market was emerging in Germany and other parts of Europe for this environmentally sustainable and unpolluted animal. Once again, Australian scientists further diminished the social value of buffalo by blaming this magnificent animal for the environmental damage inflicted by feral pigs (the genuine issue of saltwater intrusion was merely a management factor, not understood by narrow-perspective scientists).

Elsewhere, this trade colonialism and exploitation has been endured for centuries; first experienced in India when the British Raj forced the replacing of indigenous crops with monocultures, such as cotton to feed the Manchester mills. This monoculture depleted soils, and production methods dislocated peoples, destroyed skills and eroded cultures. Logging decimated forests. Out of this emerged the famines and high death-toll flooding, which had never before been a feature of India. Currently, Australia and many other nations are required to replace food crops with cotton, GM soy and palm oil. Vast areas of forest are being sacrificed, which will affect climate and, therefore, global food production.

Pseudo-science We are paying a dear price in lives for the myth that scientists are intelligent. Few are; they are merely specialised, and a meaningful percentage are entirely mercenary and without ethics. Examples abound. Agriscience promoted NPK regimes for 70 years, depleting soils and contaminating creeks, lakes, coral, mangroves and the ocean.

In another, although the media refuses to document this objectively, many eminent scientists have rejected the theory of anthropological global warming; herefore there is no scientific consensus; and even less within the infinitely more legitimate electoral community. In an act of dangerous elitism, scientists are preempting decision-making that is the prerogative of the people. It is, after all, their planet. Moreover, the carbon taxes that will ultimately benefit international bankers with a $3 trillion per year effortless profit, will inevitably become a burden for the poorest half of humanity, who are already struggling to survive.

Another example of scientific asininity is the logic that says fire is natural therefore fire is good. This has resulted in burn-off regimes that damage environment and climate. In Australia, this affects the entire northern third of the country, an area the size of Europe, causing very measurable erosion of soils, depletion of fauna and flora, reduction of woodland canopies, sterilising of soils, and pollution of the air, creeks, rivers, mangrove forests and coral formations (and hence, fishing). Scientists, ignoring the presence of fire-sensitive species that would have become extinct millions of years ago, were fires a widespread natural event; wonder childishly at seeds that germinate prolifically after fire, not understanding that this relates to ground longevity, not fire. They also gullibly absorb urbanised Aboriginal claims of 'firestick farming'; a practice conceptualised through linguistic and cultural miscomprehension, lyrical romanticism and simple ignorance of hunting environments and techniques.

Agribusiness Under the coercive influence of agribusiness, food is produced for trade, rather than to feed local populations. In third world countries, and under traditional circumstances, food is for family consumption; only surpluses are sold.

Industry-dominated governments Corporations and international banks contribute to major political party election campaigns and therefore control political agendas. This control results in largely unrestrained poisoning of rivers, lakes and aquifers; all of which impact on food production; and food production policies are subverted for profit rather than benefiting the people. Secondly, thus-suborned governments allow the incomes of workers to degenerate to the point by which they can no longer afford adequate quantities of sufficiently nutritious food.

Inequitable taxation regimes These over-tax the poor and families, and under-tax the wealthy. Secondly, revenue is distributed back to the wealthy and corporate/banker elites. And, again, contrary to media-produced propaganda, corporate welfare always outsizes welfare for the economically disadvantaged.

Resolving the food crisis; critical requirements

(1) Restore Tariffs The first step must be the resurrection of Domestic Production Cycles, which can only be achieved through the restoration of national tariffs, which protect food producers; and also protect manufacturers, who employ workers so that they have incomes and can afford to purchase the food. Put simply, the circle widens to accommodate distributors, retailers and service providers.

First, second and third world tariff restoration also prevents the food needed by third world peoples being siphoned off by giant agri-corporations and sold to developed countries at greatly expanded profits.

Contrary to the claims of pseudo-green organisations, these are not family and village crops we are consuming, but are corporate-produced with exploited labour. The former traditional village people's surpluses were first rendered profitless by subsidised unfair competition by agribusiness; and these people subsequently forced to work for the corporations on slave labour wages. In other words, the removal of tariffs did not help third world people as asserted, but forced then into virtual enslavement. Tariff restoration will result in the corporations departing from these countries.

In countries like the US and Australia, another direct effect of tariff restoration will be re-invigoration of regional and rural economies. This will have significant radiating impacts:

New job opportunities will attract people back to rural regions, with concomitant recommissioning of small town and village health and education facilities, the reopening of bank branches; and the blossoming of regional economies. Local councils will once again become solvent, and the current and hated amalgamation of councils will need to be reversed.

According to surveys, young families and retirees will also abandon cities: families for the better jobs, housing access and healthier lifestyles; and retirees for the much lower property rates and taxes; and the absence of violent crime. Other retirees will move to be closer to their grandchildren. Many traditionally urban-bound occupations will follow, enabled by the transportability of Internet productivity.

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Tony Ryan is a demographer, political researcher and environmentalist; who also organises the Australian Independent's Alliance, the Australian Small Business Forum and the Tariff Restoration Bloc; and is editor of the micro tabloid the Australian (more...)
 

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maybe i'm reading it wrong, but by kenshin on Saturday, Jun 28, 2008 at 9:13:12 PM
bio-fuel by Tony Ryan on Tuesday, Jul 1, 2008 at 8:20:25 AM

 
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