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World food crisis

Started by Adios, February 04, 2011, 05:43:05 PM

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Adios

The Ministry of Agriculture said the drought had worsened in some wheat-growing regions despite snowfalls.

Large swathes of China have had almost no rain since October, affecting millions of hectares of crops and leaving many short of drinking water.

Analysts say crop shortages in China could affect prices around the world.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12497459

YEEHAW!

Can we finance trips to the grocery store?

Requia ☣

It shouldn't effect the prices in America much (only about 2% of what you pay in the grocery store actually represents the cost of food, the rest is profit margins, processing, and distribution).  Its the third world that's screwed.
Inflatable dolls are not recognized flotation devices.

Kai

Quote from: Cramulus on February 04, 2011, 07:28:47 PM
The land space issue might potentially be solved through vertical farming. There are plans to start building prototypes to see how viable they are.

This, and other ideas in this thread to boost food production all sound good.

HOWEVER,

If there are too many damn people on this planet,

why in the world would I want to do anything that would lead to an increase in the number of people?
If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water. --Loren Eisley, The Immense Journey

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eifebiani

the way is see it the main problem is animal farming for each field of cows ten fields of food is needed so if we stopped the fast food culture we would be closer to a solution besides to my knowledge the European union is keeping massive food storages in case of emergency  8)
discord is my souls desires zeus is my society's but I follow the tapeworms in all their wisdom

BabylonHoruv

Quote from: Cramulus on February 04, 2011, 07:28:47 PM
The land space issue might potentially be solved through vertical farming. There are plans to start building prototypes to see how viable they are.

Aquaponics could also help here, it's a fairly new technique, but it's been taking of in Australia and is getting more popular in other places as well.

Combine fish farming with hydroponics, with the fish water serving as the nutrient bath for teh hydro section.  It allows for fish farming without massive water use, hydro without expensive nutrients, and actually has a better yield than classic Hydro, all while requiring no arable land at all and using about 95% less water than dirt farming.
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Cain

Hey guys, turns out over $80 billion was added to the Commodity Price Index over the last year.

Yeah, there was a bad drought in a couple of places, but a bad drought doesn't cause double or triple digit increases in costs over a single year.

However, throwing free money at banks to let them speculate on prices does, as we saw in 2008.

tyrannosaurus vex

I am disturbed by everybody's assumption that to feed 7 billion people, we need to farm more. I'd just like to point out that vegetables and grains taste like crap unless they are side dishes next to a steak. Also, farming the shit out of the land causes the foods you grow on it to be pretty devoid of actual nutrients. Americans currently consume somewhere between zero and none of the iodine they should have, because all the corn fields have been depleted of iodine, and everything we eat is made out of corn.

So even if we grew all the food needed to keep people from starving to death, we'd still have a population of undernourished people.

The solution, obviously, is not to devote every square inch of available land on Earth to farming. It is to build giant domes on the Moon and raise cattle and pigs there. And if we build the right kind of slingshot, we could just fling them off the Moon's surface at earth, and they'd already be cooked by the time they landed.

Plus there would be cowboys on the Moon.
Evil and Unfeeling Arse-Flenser From The City of the Damned.

LMNO

Quote from: postvex™ on March 22, 2011, 04:30:48 AM
Plus there would be cowboys on the Moon.

I'm sold.  Where do I sign up?

Luna

Death-dealing hormone freak of deliciousness
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Rampaging Slayer of Shit-Fountain Habitues

"My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know, everybody you see, everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake, and they live in a state of constant, total amazement."

Quote from: The Payne on November 16, 2011, 07:08:55 PM
If Luna was a furry, she'd sex humans and scream "BEASTIALITY!" at the top of her lungs at inopportune times.

Quote from: Nigel on March 24, 2011, 01:54:48 AM
I like the Luna one. She is a good one.

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Quote from: postvex™ on March 22, 2011, 04:30:48 AM
I am disturbed by everybody's assumption that to feed 7 billion people, we need to farm more. I'd just like to point out that vegetables and grains taste like crap unless they are side dishes next to a steak. Also, farming the shit out of the land causes the foods you grow on it to be pretty devoid of actual nutrients. Americans currently consume somewhere between zero and none of the iodine they should have, because all the corn fields have been depleted of iodine, and everything we eat is made out of corn.

So even if we grew all the food needed to keep people from starving to death, we'd still have a population of undernourished people.

The solution, obviously, is not to devote every square inch of available land on Earth to farming. It is to build giant domes on the Moon and raise cattle and pigs there. And if we build the right kind of slingshot, we could just fling them off the Moon's surface at earth, and they'd already be cooked by the time they landed.

Plus there would be cowboys on the Moon.

I am against this new GMO* food!!


*(Gravity Modified Organisms)

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Don Coyote

Quote from: postvex™ on March 22, 2011, 04:30:48 AM
I am disturbed by everybody's assumption that to feed 7 billion people, we need to farm more. I'd just like to point out that vegetables and grains steak taste like crap unless they it are is aside dishes next to a steak vegetables and grains. Also, farming the shit out of the land causes the foods you grow on it to be pretty devoid of actual nutrients. Americans currently consume somewhere between zero and none of the iodine they should have, because all the corn fields have been depleted of iodine, and everything we eat is made out of corn.

So even if we grew all the food needed to keep people from starving to death, we'd still have a population of undernourished people.

The solution, obviously, is not to devote every square inch of available land on Earth to farming. It is to build giant domes on the Moon and raise cattle and pigs there. And if we build the right kind of slingshot, we could just fling them off the Moon's surface at earth, and they'd already be cooked by the time they landed.

Plus there would be cowboys on the Moon.

Disco Pickle

Quote from: Donald Coyote on March 22, 2011, 02:34:31 PM
Quote from: postvex™ on March 22, 2011, 04:30:48 AM
I am disturbed by everybody's assumption that to feed 7 billion people, we need to farm more. I'd just like to point out that vegetables and grains steak taste like crap unless they it are is aside dishes next to a steak vegetables and grains. Also, farming the shit out of the land causes the foods you grow on it to be pretty devoid of actual nutrients. Americans currently consume somewhere between zero and none of the iodine they should have, because all the corn fields have been depleted of iodine, and everything we eat is made out of corn.

So even if we grew all the food needed to keep people from starving to death, we'd still have a population of undernourished people.

The solution, obviously, is not to devote every square inch of available land on Earth to farming. It is to build giant domes on the Moon and raise cattle and pigs there. And if we build the right kind of slingshot, we could just fling them off the Moon's surface at earth, and they'd already be cooked by the time they landed.

Plus there would be cowboys on the Moon.

I don't know...  I think vex had it right the first time.  but then I'm a bit of a carniwhore, so that's a biased opinion.
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Elder Iptuous

the more of the food chain you can consume in a single dish, the better.

Luna

There are four food groups.

1.  Meat.  (If you can't define that, you're one of the people who fall under #3.)
2.  Accessories.  This is anything that goes with meat, like, potatoes.
3.  Decorations.  The green shit they put on the table for OTHER people to eat so there's more meat for the real people.
4.  Dessert.  ANYTHING (with enough sugar on it or in it) can be considered dessert.
Death-dealing hormone freak of deliciousness
Pagan-Stomping Valkyrie of the Interbutts™
Rampaging Slayer of Shit-Fountain Habitues

"My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know, everybody you see, everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake, and they live in a state of constant, total amazement."

Quote from: The Payne on November 16, 2011, 07:08:55 PM
If Luna was a furry, she'd sex humans and scream "BEASTIALITY!" at the top of her lungs at inopportune times.

Quote from: Nigel on March 24, 2011, 01:54:48 AM
I like the Luna one. She is a good one.

Quote
"Stop talking to yourself.  You don't like you any better than anyone else who knows you."

Thurnez Isa

#44
Quote from: Luna on March 22, 2011, 03:18:11 PM
There are four food groups.

1.  Meat.  (If you can't define that, you're one of the people who fall under #3.)
2.  Accessories.  This is anything that goes with meat, like, potatoes.
3.  Decorations.  The green shit they put on the table for OTHER people to eat so there's more meat for the real people.
4.  Dessert.  ANYTHING (with enough sugar on it or in it) can be considered dessert.

I've often said
If something hasn't died for my consumption I'm not happy with it.
Through me the way to the city of woe, Through me the way to everlasting pain, Through me the way among the lost.
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Divine power made me, Wisdom supreme, and Primal love.
Before me nothing was but things eternal, and eternal I endure.
Abandon all hope, you who enter here.

Dante