What really worries me over the next two decades is agriculture.

We have far too few seed banks.

We let our seeds and ag policy be controlled by just a few large interests that only have profit motives in mind. Witness what happened to the banking community when that happened — solely acting as profit maximizers, they did not concern themselves with the risk to the whole system.

We pushed for an agricultural system of a few large farmers based on “economy of scale” concerns. Well, if there is global warming, large producers cannot react fast. They are also at the mercy of large buyers, such as McDonalds. They do not offer a diversified product, so if blight comes, all the same dominos tend to topple together. Small farmers are more responsive to the local community and if a blight or worse came, ONE off them, motivated beyond measure to protect his livelihood (like no corporate executive would), would figure out what to do, other small independent operators would also innovate and quickly follow (not the big boys, who always lag!) and communities would be saved. There are strategic, community and survival benefits to samll rather than large economies of scale.

“Terminator” seeds should be outlawed because of the risks they represent and entail; it’s just so plain stupid to allow this that I won’t go into it. “Patenting life” should be declared void.

GMO, from the research, has not produced the yield gains promised … but HAS produced a greater need for fertilizers and pesticides than before and help fund PR firms who are told to push it. Yes, continue the research, but remember that for now this is just a way to try to create a monopoly product, that’s all. THAT is the concern hidden beneath everything. Not the only one, but a major one.

Pesticide usage from foreign ag products is not policed; we allow a banned pesticide here to be used over there and then import it. Why?

Water will become scare EVERYWHERE. Only the small farmer will then survive because they can adapt. That will save communities paritally. So why are we placing our bets in just a few big boys? Yes there are economies of scale there and you need them, but there must also be a balance of many smaller players in the mix due to strategic security risks. It helps with local employment and community cohesion as well, and many other unmeasurable intangibles that make for just plain good old sound living. Local communities need to develop tax laws to promote, protect tthe local farmer (and not underlying real estate deals that the laws would be jury rigged to set up).

And more and more and more.

Statesmen should THINK about these things and then create policies that will protect us. God forbid should a drought or disease (ex. irish potato blight) run rampant after which time all the people will be arguing “How come you didn’t think of this, it was so obvious?” Do you really think other countires will sell their food, exporting it, if emergencies will happen.

Just witness what happened when wheat prices and rice priices rose…many countires enacted IMMEDIATE laws to prohibit export. Now think ahead … in this new world of global warming and droughts (Australia lost 90% of its wheat crop last year) and increasing third world population … and ponder what’s a SECURE, STABLE solution. It’s not what the profit maximizers designed, which is a solution designed to create powerful monopolies.

And as to many smaller nations who sign on to globalization and then immediately see huge amounts of low cost foods dumped into their markets, ruining the local famrers, who then go bankrupt overnight (and have to emigrate to the cities, putting an ever bigger strain and burden on them) and sell their land to larger players, who then come under the control of the big players in order to sell in bulk … and who tell them to only produce for export rather than the local market … this is not the best way to keep up employment, communities and guarantee a nation’s food supply sufficiency. You have to rethink “say yes” if you are truly concerned about your country. Frankly, from what I see were the ag laws passed in India recently, which has resulted in the bankruptcy and suicides of hundreds if not thousands of small farmers, I think some people in high positions were on the take and accepted bribes because the policies are so bad and favor non-national interests so much. It gives you cause to wonder the power of the multinationals when they want profits. The government is supposed to protect the people, not pander to those with the biggest wallets. As I always say, the profit motive has no concern for community or humanity or social outcome or even good policy. It’s just ruthless about doing what’s necessary for ever more, secure profits for itself. And then it shields those profits from taxes in ways the littel guys who were eliminated never could, and there is no trickle down effect to the nation or employees. Just the rich owenrs. Think about that.

How many more agricultural issues should I bring up that worry the heck out of me, besides the bees, of course? Weather instability is now here, seed risk is now here, water risk is now here, and population demand is climbing and we recently SAW what happened when wheat, milk, ice and corn prices doubled …. NOW is the time this is perfectly clear. The risks are no longer theoretical that we should do nothing until it’s too late, and then complain. The regulation, as with the banking crisis, must begin NOW and restore the food care to the people in a distributed system that ensures its safety. That IS a national security concern and imperative. Otherwise, one new agricultural anthrax type bug out of nowhere and the whole system can collapse. Only DIVERSITY protects you from that, just as a DIVERSITY of medical approaches (homeopathic, chinese medicine, nutritional, altenrative medicine, bodywork, etc.) protects the population even though the medical establishment may desipise it.

Don’t let agricultural giants put us at risk in the same way the financial community did. To lose money is one thing, but to be without food as the result of unwise policy means death. Why would we let our leaders be so calous at the behest of the corporate globalmeisters once again, who can promise agricultural security with beautiful words but when the sh*t actually does hit the fan, will be able to deliver nothing. The whole system needs to be reworked and rethought out NOW … a balance of the bigger, and resurgence of many smaller players for diveristy and safety’s sake and for too many reasons for me to write. Do you part — contact your Senators and Congressman and public officials. They never act unless there is pressure. If you see the results of what the financial sector did, and just consider a FEW of the things I noted and think them through, you have more than enough wisdom to understand the risks right now, especially with the weather changing, water becoming more scare, seed diversity disappearing, …

This is what concerns me!

Related posts:

1. What Other Catastrophic Crisis is Next ?
2. The Banking Crisis is the Result of the Profit Motive