Now here’s an export from China I’d honestly love:
Manufacturers who produce sub-standard food could be jailed for life under a new draft law unveiled by Chinese authorities.
Coming to a market near me?
Not so fast: China’s leaders still haven’t served it up for their own people.
First World food megacorps don’t want the strong new protections on the menu.
But food companies — including Nestle, Mars and Coca-Cola — have complained that the system will increase production costs while doing little to improve standards.
Oh well — at least our First World megacorps are consistent: they also sank China’s recent attempt to improve workers’ conditions.
In March, 2006 the Forbidden City rulers — the mandarins — announced improved labor standards for China’s factory workers, known as the Labor Contract Law.
In response, the First World’s rulers — the megacorps — bludgeoned China’s rulers to roll back the improved work rules: better lives for China’s factory workers would cost the First World’s wealthiest people — the owners — too much.
And by December of 2006, China’s rulers complied, rolling back much of the reforms.
Only to see China’s abysmal treatment of her workers become one of many human rights abuses illuminated by the Great Torchwash Backward.
After all that, now the First World’s rulers want China’s people to keep eating toxic swill.
Wonder what the Forbidden City rulers will do this time?
Side with the Foreign Devils who tell obese people and their kids chocolate bars are "health food" (Mars), serially kill Third World babies (Nestle), and whose bottlers torture and assassinate labor leaders (Coke)?
Or — now that the Forbidden City’s thorough propaganda campaign (itself frantically launched to spin the failure of their Great Torchwash propaganda campaign) has sparked mass outrage against foreign critics of the PRC’s policies – will the mandarins side against the megacorps to protect their people’s food?
Foreign Devils want you to eat toxic swill.
Can’t wait to see how the megacorps spin that.
Work longer shifts!
Eat toxic crap!
Buy our stuff!
Maybe they can use Mark Penn. He seems to have some free time coming up.
[image: Mike Licht, Notions Capital.com]
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oh so!
Interesting.
This uncovers a major scam.
US companies have been blaming china when things go wrong- like lead based paint on kid’s toys….
They want us to ignore that THEY are the one’s who spec the products and oversee the manufacturing process…All the decisions and responsibility belongs to THEM.
Crikey!!!
To Mattel:
“Hey your toys are killing kids”
Mattel:
“Why those damned chinese. Who could ever have known they’ve been putting lead paint on our toys for twelve years?”
Hey- yer dog food killed my fuckin dog!
Damn chinese- etc.
Kirk James Murphy:
Manufacturers who produce sub-standard food could be jailed for life under a new draft law unveiled by Chinese authorities.
Coming to a market near me?
That’s a bit of a two-edged sword.
While it would probably force the megacorps to improve their processes, and maybe even increase the nutritional value of their offerings – both of which would be good things – it could also present some unacceptable risks for small and mid-sized farmers and food producers/packagers.
They might run afoul of such regulations despite their best intentions, since they obviously aren’t large enough to support the kind of compliance departments that large corporations could pay for.
.
Aww Rwcole, i’m sorry to hear that. that is precisely why my dog went onto a WOLF diet (raw meat).
Don’t forget Wal-Mart, your local headquarters for cheap plastic crap from China that could poison/kill you.
(I do understand that it is the only store for some people..all the more grievous)
rw, when Mark Schapiro was here for FDL Book Salon to discuss Exposed, one of the most interesting facts he shared is that First World megacorps have factories in China making goods for both the EU and the US – and the factories producing for the EU are given the (more stringent) EU safety specs. We get exports produced to meet inferior US specs.
Of course, yet another aspect of the problem is pervasive contamination and adulteration of foodstuffs used in export (including bulk ingredietns imported into the US by food manufacturers here).
Just to clarify, I’m certain that is an ironic quote of how some US manufacturers blame their own low standards on factories in China – not in any way a criticism of the Chinese people.
We don’t buy stuff if the made in china label is on it. We pay more for it or go without it but it really is for safety issues. But what do you expect from our govt that has politicized EVERY department.
naturally. it is not anti-chinese people rather their govt and their practices of allowing the export of this poisonous crap abroad
I think a little personal responsibility for corporate malfeasance sounds like a good idea. I doubt it will work that way in China, for the same reasons it doesn’t work here.
Kirk, I love you but try, but some of the joke allusions to China’s past has well a faintly sinophobic feel to it (For instance a mandarin was a respected scholar, it is an insult to call a party official a mandarin). And in response to the Olympics, my question is: do you want to punish China or help the Tibetans? Because cheering protests against China in a humiliating way, is not going to help the Tibetans, or its minorities. That is my concern. That has always been my concern. The Dalai Lama is in a rock and a hard place. And now there is repression and unrest in Sichuan and Xinjiang, and so-called separatists are referred to “terrorists”. There is a lot of blame to go around and quite a bit of it on the US as Chimpy has given the government a cover with the so-called War on Terra.
Here’s a little story about shopping. Not food, but Not China Made Products.
Recently I went shopping for a BDay gift for my sissy. I live in an area where there’s mostly cheap-ass shops. Everything is Made In China, so I went to, are you ready, a Head Shop. Nice little, mom and pop store, and bought her a beautiful hand-made, hardwood bracelet, with stringy ties. Ha!
I even told her where I bought it and she laughed.
Sitting around recovering from surgery from removal of my left kidney due to cancer [big honking tumor which might have been caused by … maybe something just like this] and watching the food hearings on CSPAN and wanting ANYONE to ask one question….. just one……
** Would you eat this food or feed it to your children and grandchildren for the rest of their lives???????
** Do you think it is safe to feed to your children?
Just like in that movie about the contaminated water….. have their kids served with a sopeana and sitting right there and ask them to EAT IT!
JGabriel, I sure agree that food safety rules adopted in the US would need to ensure small producers (and medium size producers) did not face unduly harsh penalties: I want to see as many small producers as possible flourish…just as we once had tens of thousands of butchers cutting meat in our local markets [and hence almost no route for one side of beef contaminated with E Coli to sicken thousands of people when the thing was run through a massive packing plant].
OTOH, the fundamental purpose of our food safety rules is to protect the eaters, not the producers. So I’m looking forward to a progressive administration (local, state, federal) embracing the concept that the fundamental purpose of these rules is to ensure our survival – not the producers’.
Having said that, scaling penalties up as a factor of market share/total gross receipts would help to ensure the heaviest penalties fell on the largest producers.
Fortunately, severe penalties for severely toxic food need not be mutually exclusive with encouraning a widely dispersed, decentralized network of small to mid-size producers.
cool but I have a question. what is a head shop? i have not heard that term before.
((((katymine))))
Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
You had surgery? I had no idea!!! How are you feeling? Wishing you a speedy recovery and your right, someone ask them or better bring the family in and put the food in front of them
head shops always have the good gifts ;).
allowing the export of this poisonous crap abroad
‘bits,
The Chinese goods being imported here are predominately spec’ed out by U.S. firms. The European Union has REGULATIONS that forbid much of what is allowed here. This even includes packaging. While the Chinese gov might rightly deserve some criticism,they are hardly solely responsible. Our gov’s penchant for deregulation is far more at fault than any foreign government. Just my opinion really.
A bit OT, but no too much, a great quote from our local Weekly Dig:
“I’ll tell you a story. In my country, the well, not the church, was the center. Everyone guarded the well. Well, without water, what?
Now, we poison the well. We protect the church.
Those who do not realize the importance of the well will wither, will they not? How do you say, those who use the most water will cry the loudest when the well goes dry.”
“
There is a smart a** answer which I won’t give you.
But back in the ’60s and ’70s, those folks who indulged in psychoactive substances were sometimes called “heads.” Short for “pot-heads” or “acid-Heads” etc. The shops where types of paraphanalia could be purchased were knwon as “head shops.”
bummer .. hope the recovery is going well!
Where you buy paraphernalia…er, pipes. Know what I mean? wink, wink.
I hadn’t been in one for so long, I waltzed in with my 14 year old…wasn’t thinking. He was asked to step outside.
Ha, ha ha.
Hey Busted….. I met you just a few months after the surgery….. it was last October…. AND I am so fine I am planning my next vacation to Europe!
The issue is that the kidneys are the filters to the body….. they grab all the crap and get rid if it…….. Did that crap floating in my body cause that cancer?
It was either the cool wooden bracelet or the hat that said “Bitch!”.
((( Kirk )))
((((( katymine )))))
Um … could you send the latter to Issa … anonymously, of course … *g*
Ahhh.h.h…reminiscences.
Back then I could roll a bomb with a single Zig Zag, one hand (It was considered gauche to use two papers and/or one of those little roller belt thingys).
Hey Dakine! (How appropriate) I had to spell check the P word. Says how up to date I am with that stuff.
Katymine!!! White light to you.
Yes lets not get to Lou Dobbs. It’s not as if manufacturers here aren’t chomping at the bit for cheap imported goods from China. I think China’s slack attitude toward fertilizers, etc. etc. was well known ten years before the pet food episodes. You may notice that other Asian countries have a tendency to import from Japan when possible.
and now days, along with carrying various head supplies, many head shops also serve as quirky arts-and-crafts outlets …
I knew I was good when I got to Hawaii and could do the single paper zigzag…
I have a serious case of CRS sometimes, too many visits to head shops back in the day.
Have a blast in Europe!
i’m not just holding their govt responsible as I have a friend that works for Mead and they have their own quality assurance folks that look over the backs of the chinese manufacturers all the time. I’m sorry if my posts made it sound like only the chinese are to blame but I know they aren’t
:) (I wouldn’t waste the money, tho.)
Hey! Me too.
One paper. One hand.
How easy was it to be cool then, huh?
Is anyone else getting hungry?
well thanks for not giving me the smart ass answer. i was born in the 80’s and my parents weren’t the indulgent kind (at least not by the time they had kids).
Try it while driving a 3-speed manual ‘66 Mustang.
LMAO Was he as surprised that you went to such a store?
clubs, bistro-width, my friends ;)
It takes a lot to make me laugh out loud.
You did.
Even the dog is barking! He’s like, What? What mom?
mui, I love you too – and I’m grateful for your participation here at the Lake and in theis discussion. I share your apparent concern about wishing to be respectful of the Chinese people.
I’m not certain if use of the word mandarin in this context is perceived as an insult to Party officials or to scholars.
If the latter, I’m totally OK with that: insulting autocrats is just one of many tools progressives have used for centuries to expand human rights.
If the former, my apologies for any slander perceived in likening scholars to those who enforce trade in human organs and use military force to seize property (and contaminate vast swaths of land and water) so that Party and or “People’s” Liberation Army higher-ups can make private fortunes.
The result is literally thousands of local protests across China every year – the latest this week in which shots were fired – all over (IIRC) a local factory’s unchecked pollution (and hence destruction) of land and water.
As for the Tiebetans – Students For A Free Tibet have quite a different rule on the role of public humiliation in bringing pressure to bear on an autocratic regime…a regime that just happens to be acutely sensitive to losing face.
WRT to the broader tensions facing the armed dictatorship of the Forbidden City’s current Imperial rulers: yep, it’s hard to be a dictator. The dictators played the “terrorist” card against religious and political minorities well before the Great TorchWash forward protests, so it’s hard to accept that the latter were causative in the former.
That was the job for the person riding shotgun/navigator…
My pot roast is almost ready.
Honest.
My deepest and most humblest apologies to Kirk!
I’ll try not to bogart here.
(((Katymine))) – wishing you a quick recovery!
And (((Petro)))
Thanks to all who are taking part in this discussion. I hope those who haven’t previously commented at he Lake will jump in on this topic: we all eat.
If the food supply and the food chain is safe….. when I would like Agri-Business prove it to me…. by being willing to live on their food products, to feed it to those they love and certify that it is so safe that they will stake their own and their families lives to guarantee their safety.
A couple of days ago I was reading about the nutritional content of food and the protein level of food has been dropping that even though people are “well fed” they are showing signs of lack of specific nutrients such as scurvy, early onset of osteoporosis and other lack of vitamins. This was a British study of organic vs. standard farming on nutritional content of food. Organic won big time!
Oh, yeah.
Riding up the coast.
Rolled one and tried to throw it through the open window of a caravan car.
Whoosh! Lost that one.
Duhhhhhh.
I didn’t know that. Not that manufacturers cared because I’m sure the products aren’t as cheap. Thank goodness, I’m the auntie that always gives books, fair trade and socially conscious gifts for b-days, christmas, boxing day, etc.
Another reason to buy organic but it costs more (not doabloe for many familes) and not widely available.
Not such a terrible loss when 4 fingers was $7
Kirk here is DIGG for the post! And as always you hit on points that need talking about and action taken!!
So Totally True. Was the 80’s and headed up your way for camping.
Hey Katy… wishing you a speedy recovery!
O/T North Carolina Republicans pull anti-Obama ad
Update per Dkos on this:
UPDATE: We’re getting mixed signals … the political blog for the News and Observer (NC’s second biggest paper) reports that the NC Repubs have no intention of pulling the ad. However, they may not have a choice but to yank it–WRAL-TV, the Triangle’s CBS affiliate, says that it isn’t running the ad. And the ABC O&O over there, WTVD, may not run it either.
Ha! Wonder how much they wasted on that?
More than $7.00.
Katiemine best wishes with the cancer problem, I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers!
I have grave concerns about so much of our food supplies sources are outside the USA. AS fuel prices keep going up, having local sources of goods will increase [hopefully] where we the people can have more say over the quality and oversight.
The average millage of every item in a grocery store is between 1200-1500 miles. Think of that…… that is a lot of fuel expense, nutrient loss and understand that producers are only growing food that travel well vs. high nutrients.
Gotta wonder if that was because of all the questioning of McCain’s stones over getting dissed by a state.
OT:
Syrian Ambassador on Situation Room…says the video that he was shown as “compelling” evidence of a nuclear plant in the desert is so ridiculous…there isn’t even any barbed wire or anti-aircraft missiles or even a cop in the vicinity…it was a vacant military building…no security guards…just a plain building….
Let’s not get fooled again by Bushco…..
esp’ly after it took them 7 months to put it together …
delurking for a moment to say—looking for the ’made in china’ label doesn’t mean it wasn’t made in china…..my dad keeps track of this stuff…..
vitamins, large percentage, (can’t remember the number, 80%?) made in china, shipped here and repackaged…….all kinds of them……
many many many many products are made in china, shipped here and packaged/packed in the us….the product can be assembled/made/mixed here.
the made in china label means nothing.
he says it needs to say ingredients made in china.
======
and the head shop here on one half is ’head’ things, and magnets and purses and home stuff, and on the other side is COOL SHOES and really nice silver jewelry, have purchased many presents there……is where a lot of my friends buy their shoes, i do if i find a pair on sale……i always take best friend and sister there for shoes when they visit….and they live in the big city, they love that place.
i run into a lot of people i know from around town there. all kinds of people shop there.
======
and raven asked for heat on a vets education bill at comment 97 in the last thread, if you want to call instead of write here’s the switchboard number
1-800-450-8293
bbl
Just saw new oncologist and he is NOT a nervous nilly….. thinks I am doing great…. next full body CT’s will be in August and done with the valley fever drugs….. wohoo… going to France, Italy and 9 days in Crete in two months
Scholars studied hard to become mandarins. There is historical pride in a civil service that was Confucion rather than feudalistic like the West. That’s my problem with the word being thrown about. Party officials are not mandarins.
There are opposing factions. From what I understand the Dalai Lama has taken a middle road position and he is growing weaker. That is a bad thing. Please understand that the Dalai Lama has put a peaceful face on Tibet, a place known for proud ferocity (Have you been there?!?). If the fiercer factions win over (or there is a minor in the place of the Dalai Lama), then there will be all hell to pay. I know that this looks like people bringing down an autocratic governement. But would you be so happy to see Bosnia/Serbia in a Tibet or another another autonomous region near you? If you want to help Tibet, pray for the Dalai Lama and the peaceful factions, IMHO.
Taking on something that is perceived as a anti-China position (public humiliation during the Olympics), will only harden all postions, and nationalism is growing in the region. I think a “Freedom Fighter” should weigh all considerations IMHO. The Olympics is a mistake and it will have repercussions in years to come. Let’s not cheer the loss of peace for the sake of “bringing down autocratic governemnents.”
Hold on, it will cost a lot and it won’t improve standards? That seems odd and rather contradictory. If it costs a lot, that means the current standards aren’t really too good. But if it won’t do anything, that means the quality is all ready, well, what? that doesn’t pass the smell test.
I would happily vote for severe punishment for anyone that screws up medicine, food, air, or any other product that could harm us. I wonder why our own government NEVER does? Is that a sign of absolute corruption in our country?
I see it quite differently.
The same megacorps that are happy to serve us toxic crap imported from China in our pet food – and human food – push to weaken food safety regulations both here and in Cnina. That’s what I’m describing above in Coke/Nestle/Mars attempt to spike the new stringent safety rules.
Even the PRC seem to think their government was quite at fault: hence their decision to execute their FDA (equivalent) chief for taking bribes. (I don’t know if they sold his organs, too.)
Though I certainly agree that both nations are responsible, the megacorps here in the US couldn’t import toxic crap from corrupt producers in China if the factories there weren’t making it.
Of course, if our FDA (and other analagous agencies) did adequate inspections, the toxic crap food (and food ingredients) would be stopped at our ports – but then the crap would just get fobbed off on other nations lacking adequate inspections.
So while I do see the result as the product of two corrupted governments, I still place primary responsiblity on the authorities in the nation where the toxic ingredients are produced – and that’s the Party in their Imperial City splendor.
[Here I’m making a clear distinction between adulerated/toxic ingredients - which pervade industrial food prodcution in China - versus the specs for products. Although US mfrs clearly fail to exclude a multitude of chemicals the EU bans, I haven’t seen any convincing evidence the US mfrs’ inferior specs are what cause the same adulterated /toxic ingredients that contaminate industrial food produced in China for domestic consumption to show up in exports.
LS-was an artiicle on fdl newsboard that the syrian pres won’t make a peace deal with bush and clan…..is going to wait for new pres. just read the article about a half hour ago, so is still up there or on the next newspage.
that’s a really key point. We buy organic and local whenever we can. And grow as much as we can for ourselves. Local is pretty much always better. And a big part of that is the varieties of vegetables — there;s a whole world of stuff that doesn’t travel, doesn’t all ripen at once, isn’t approp for mechaninical harvesting. And coincidentally, tastes waay better.
Reminds me of a story I read a long time ago about US agribiz folks trying to improve potato crops in Peru. The peruvian farmers were willing to grow the potato varieties provided for market — and they did produce, pound for pound, a lot more. But, when they were asked to eat them, they declined saying that the trad varieties tasted much much better. Turned out that nutritional analysis showed the trade varieties had a lot more food value, both by weight of potatoes and in terms of food production by cropland. Guess the Peruvians knew their potatoes!
Excellent! Have fun!
Katymine I have one early next month.. they told me my problem is not cancer but they want to scan me every 3 months… sure does change your outlook on life! Enjoy your trip to the fullest Katy live every day as if it is your last and you will never have any regrets… good luck!!
ding ding (that’s my take…it made him look weak becasue a state party smacked him down)
Great post, Kirk.
To me, much of what you are noting here in terms of the megacorps having their way with Chinese law is just another symptom of the sickness brought about by massive consolidation and loss of competition. The big stories I’m thinking about now all have major aspects that are brought about by consolidation: war from massive MIC companies controlling US foreign policy, food shortages and contamination of the supply from consolidation of processing and distribution (and some screwing around from the hedge funds), failed media due to consolidation, energy shortages due to consolidated oil firms writing the Bush energy policy and failed healthcare from the consolidated health insurance industry dictating US policy.
Kirk – Thanks for this piece.
Are we any closer to getting a grip on this? Is the break-point when folks start turning up in hospitals by the family, beyond healing and puking blood?
And this: When a new administration enters in 2009, would be be expecting to see EPA and FDA become real watchdog departments again, ensuring public safety standards and slapping the crap out of offenders? It would seem that either the mega-corps have a stranglehold on the regulatory mechanisms to prevent standards from being raised (and inspection and enforcement reinstated), or they are playing out the string until the very last second.
I ate Peruvian potatoes last summer and they were indeed, splendid. Dozens of varieties full of flavor and color.
Same with the tomatoes in Italy-juicy, meaty, and all shapes and sizes.
It was almost as if they were real, not genetically engineered.
This is the same argument I heard when working with the victims of domestic abuse. “Don’t confront the abusers – they’ll just get angrier”.
Didn’t convince me then – doesn’t know.
China’s dictators are adroitly playing the exceptionalist card “we’re special – don’t criticize us” that the US played in a failed attempt to deflect criticism of human rights crimes in Latin America (during the Cold War -a nd after) and the Soviet Bloc played in their failed attempt to deflect criticism of their Gulag.
As for loss of peace: hard to lose that which is not possessed.. Every year China’s current rulers imprison tens of thousands and enforce their dictatorship through active violence – as their client states in Burma and Sudan do. This week China’s troops showed up in Zimbabwe.
AM I arguing that armed insurrection would be better than peaceful change – nope. But those who make the latter impossible make the former inevtiable.
“almost”, huh :-). Really does make a diff, no?
I see the proclamations as pandering to the West. They don’t give a shit about food standards. Google bird flu Hong Kong. This has been going on for years and the British government to their credit bought back sick chickens from vendors.
BTW. The whole organ business is all over Asia.
Nahant – thanks for the DIgg. I’ll be back later – I gotta go teach med students – but I’ll look forward to rejoining the comments afterwards.
Thanks to all for your interest in safe food for all the world’s people!
Parts of things can come from china and be assembled here in the US or Mexico or Indonesia but that is one of the reasons to try to remain aware of these things. Part of it for me is to support american made products when possible, when it’s not possible I try to find alternatives.
My concern is that as food supplies become short, fuel costs prevents the amount of goods that have in the past filled our grocery shelves and that consumers find shortage that the conflict between regulation and oversight will be thrown out just to have ANYTHING filling those shelves.
BTW…. have you been to your local grocery store? Have you looked to see how they are not filling up those shelves? That there might be a couple of rows out on the edge but not row after row to fill them?
Rye flour shortage
Kirk James Murphy:
[…]
Having said that, scaling penalties up as a factor of market share/total gross receipts would help to ensure the heaviest penalties fell on the largest producers.
Thanks for the response, Kirk. That’s an idea I can get behind.
.
That’s great! I also try to just buy seasonal. My local growers only carry what would normally be in season…so there are no strawberries, grapes etc. now because the season is months off. With the collapse of honey bee colonies, I hope people consider planting bee friendly plants to attract what is out there and help create som mini ecosystem for them
China’s leadership does have a point. China is different. The western paradigm is oppressive and doesn’t work for them. An approach that works requires not the outright fawning of some governments towards China, or the outright Sinophobia of others, they’re asking for mutual respect on a whole host of issues (like right now they think we are going to bugger them up the ass on oil rights, and they’re right, because that is exactly what all our candidates, plus Congress,including Democrats, with Libocrat foaming at the mouth have been talking about) . Then you can talk about human rights. It’s a holistic process, like if I push you and you push another person, to be fair we should talk about all the agressiveness, that’s what I mean by mutual respect.
What’s the deal with the block quote function?
It doesn’t seem to be handling paragraph breaks within the quote, treating them as ‘endquote’ marker.
.
And don’t accuse me of pandering to dictators.
Oh screw the Chinese! I want one of these cool personal submarines all the drug runners are using:
That’s me cruising Lake Havasu with a nice Pacifica
wobbly–what you stated again, that’s what i’m cautioning people about–that the ’american made products’ may not be so. my dad follows stocks and products the companies make, he harps about it…..
he knows his stuff.
i just gave one example of vitamins, but there are so many i’m not goin’ there, components are shipped in and ’made in america’ gets slapped on it.
and you wouldn’t even know it.
bbl
image
And I would like you to consider that what we are seeing in China in a historical context. It could get much much worse, and that’s not abusive daddy syndrome, that is reality.
The bee industry is big in Greece, everywhere we went there were hives and shops full of wonderful organic honey. I chatted up a Cretan beekeeper about colony collapse, he had no knowledge of it and explained how American’s work the bees he had such a look of horror on his face…… his first comment was…… “the bees…. they do not like to move, they need to have a home”…. his only bee loss was due to the heat or fires but not whole hives disappearing.
How the bee industry work the bees by traveling them all over the country by hauling hives in trailers for hundreds of miles is against the natural behavior of bees and expect them to not have issues is beyond me.
The site won’t upload me and my submarine?
Getting later in the thread, so I’m going OT to keep a promise I made to Nahant to get this message out on every thread:
Read and Sign MoveOn.org’s latest petition.
http://pol.moveon.org/mccain_p…..Z&t=3
Tell McCain we are outraged regarding Katrina.
true. It’s not easy to be an informed consumer
The saddest thing is all the once-fertile farmland in many communities that was destroyed to make strip malls and housing developments. The folks who still have local family farms may soon be sitting astride an agricultural goldmine if they can bring produce and other goods to market cheaper than HugeCo Agriculture Inc. It’s a matter of time of course, but the way fuel prices are now, I expect to see an increase in farmers markets and other alternative food sources soon.
Perhaps we’ll even be able to get “community gardens” like they have in parts of Europe. Everyone plants, works it and shares the bounty throughout the year or growing seasons. Organic, delicious and lower-cost with an significantly lower carbon footprint as well.
Sure, why not? But I don’t expect McAsshole to listen.
Maybe not, but even if one person is made aware.
Baby steps, babe.
(and, whew, that was close…..New Thread)
I just read an excellent article about it in some british paper (i will have to track down which paper) where they were stating that much of it has to do with the fact that bees are pact into such a small area and are suceptible to being wiped out fairly eaasy. As to the cause, they aren’t sure but the europeans (brits actually) are very concerned and have petitioned parliment to address the situation. but there are native honey bees that can be supported in your local area by planting clumps of bee friendly blooms
Growing up here in the valley near Phoenix which used to be THE truck garden basket of the country for winter veggies. When we traveled to Williams Airfield passing farm after farm but now it is one big mess of suburbs….. gone are all those truck farms and dairies…..
With the collapse of honey bee colonies, I hope people consider planting bee friendly plants to attract what is out there and help create som mini ecosystem for them
Try dill, borage, cosmos, angelica, caraway, rock cress, yarrow, calendula, goldenrod, and especially tansy. Bee balm is good too, but it spreads so much it can be hard to control.
Wow TLinGA – thanks for that list: I’ll use it to befriend the local pollinators….
(back from teaching…catching up with comments..)
katymine and lee5 – thanks for raising those excellent points. Peak Oil’s arrival says “bye-bye” to the (subsidized) energy our current long distribution chain relies upon. And as lee5 notes, the nutritional value of the long-distance produce tends to be grossly inferior to the nutritive value of fresh, local produce.
Even if carbon-based energy for transport were limitless, and the transported produce were every bit as nutritious, long food transport chains (in general) increase global warmings [noting exceptions like NZ lamb imported to the UK].
JoFish, that day seems to have arrived. With escalating food costs, folks have already started to “in-fill” urban land for gardens.
This being SF, some have jumped in as “guerilla gardeners” (plant now, ask questions later) on long-neglected lots. Yet this particular approach has drawbacks:
A more mainstream – and probably more likely to produce a harvest – approach has also taken root here:
Does urban/suburban food cultivation seem like another tender plant depending on activists’ hot air for survivial?
Nope.
Are urban/suburban food gardens only for the affluent?
Nope: