The Loss of Farmland – The Diminishing Of Our Food part 3

PART 3

My goal is to emphasize the importance of local food production and encourage more people to get involved in the process. The loss of farmland has made us dependent of food from far away, potentially making us vulnerable to food shortage.

Growing some of our own food will help us be better prepared to address food supply challenges, ensuring that people have access to food, regardless of their location.  prior posts

Part 1 https://gardeningtheorganicway.com/food-for-thought/loss-farmland-diminishing-food/

Part 2 https://gardeningtheorganicway.com/food-for-thought/loss-farmland-diminishing-food-part-2/

Extreme weather Conditions

“This is the only planet we’ve got. Years from now, I want to be able to look our children and grandchildren in the eyes and tell them that we did everything we could to protect it.” President Obama on combating climate change.  April 18, 2015.

Most people have come to the conclusion that the climate is changing. How does it impact our food?  Pages could be written about this topic but a few examples will suffice to bring to our attention how fragile our food system is, due to climate change.

In 2014 alone, in the Northeast we had a strange winter with many fluctuations in the weather.  The temperatures were extremely cold for days and then it warm up suddenly.  This is confusing to us; imagine what it did to the plants.

Some local farmers have pick-your-own fruit farms; for apples, peaches and cherries.  People come to come and pick the fruit and purchase it. Farmers cancelled the harvest as they had none.  When the trees were in full bloom and a dramatic, unusual drop of temperature happened it causes the flowers to drop, and the crop was complete lost.

Loss of Food Due to Climate Change

Summer apples and other fruits are readily available locally. Instead of depending on far away places, be it California, Chile or Israel, we see the supermarkets announcing ‘locally grown’. This makes everyone happy, as they associate freshness with goodness. It becomes irrelevant if it’s organic or not. In the year 2014, there was no local produce available during the spring. The fruit continued to come from faraway places until the late season apples finally came in. This is what aroused my curiosity as to why we were dependent on food coming thousands of miles away so late into the season.

There have been losses in other states from all types of freaky weather patterns, be it extreme floods, droughts, sudden temperature fluctuations, tornadoes or the many other possible conditions that continue to happen regularly. Crops are lost, food is lost. We have become more dependent on food coming from overseas, be it Mexico or other Central American countries, to South American and countries that are even further away.

Food from Overseas

The more our food production is stressed, the more we will draw from other countries to feed us. These countries, in particular, are those in Latin America. Some farmers in countries like Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia are growing organic food and exporting it to the US. But most of these countries are not regulated like we are in the US. They can spray whatever they like to the food and, as long as it doesn’t have any disease or insects, it’s placed on your shelf.

Eighteen years ago, I remember visiting my family in Colombia. We decided to go to the mountains to be away from the city. I recall how there were no birds around, not one single bird did I see flying, nor did I hear their sounds. I questioned this and no one had an answer. But there were a lot of farms in the area with coffee fields and all sorts of plantations. Where was the wildlife? Why was there such silence and lack of birds? DDT or some other similar chemical? 

These countries are also suffering from climate change. They are undergoing floods as well as loss of farmland and crops. So, when we hear that we can switch over to eating grains and imported foods, it may not be the best choice.

Next time you are at the supermarket, see where your produce comes from. Take the time to check what regulations exist regarding pesticides and chemicals on food in these countries. The US still produces DDT  even though we don’t use it in this country for farming, it is sent overseas.

Food For Thought

Some children are already hungry.

What about those who will come after us?  Will they have enough to eat? 

Today, we all want to know what we can do the help save and heal the planet. The answer is simple and often overlooked: it all starts with the food we eat. We have the ability to make a significant change to our planet by growing some of our food organically. My mission here is to show you how you can grow your own food (even if it is just a small portion of all the food that you eat).  If many do this, no one will grow hungry.

Buying from local growers and small farmers, and joining community-supported agricultural farms and demanding organic food will cut down on carbon emissions.  Support local, small-scale sustainable agriculture and create a healthier you and a healthier environment.

To learn about growing your own food and offset the carbon footprint get my book ‘Garden the Organic Way’.https://gardentheorganicway.etsy.com

Most importantly, learning how to grow some of your food will educate you and your family on how to subsidize your food.  If food prices continue to rise, and we face serious food shortages as populations continue to grow, and climate change increases, you will be prepared.  “Soldado avisado no muere en guerra”.