Food Politics
What Everyone Needs to Know
Robert Paarberg 2010 Bvtn 338.19 PAA
Amazing. A rational book by a political science professor at Wellesley. One more prejudice shattered
p008 Malthus Not yet, maybe not ever.
p015 Africa: 4% irrigated, 10% fertilized, little scientific input. African governments spend 5% on agriculture, though 60% of citizens depend on farming. What an opportunity!
- p018 African drylands, only foodsource is grass fed animals, vegetarian not an option (yet?)
p018 Livestock responsible for 18% of emissions. Livestock's Long Shadow FAO 2996
- p020 Food prices - price fluctuations usually panic buying and hoarding, little effect on impoverished countryside
- p022 2008 price spike in spite of production increases
- p026 not biofuel caused, 5% of (mostly corn) production, corn prices stable. in 2009, ethanol plants idle
- p027 Egypt price spike reduced urban food subsidies, caused riots but people still getting fat
- p036 most starvation in Africa, often war-disrupted food production
- p036 Underweight children: Asia 45% 1985, 25% 2005 Latin.Am 12.5% to 5.5% Africa 24% to 25%, doubled population
p046 Famine France 100Y War population down 2/3, Ireland 1845-49 1M starved, 1M emigrated. China Taiping, 45M. India 1876-78, 6 to 10M people. Great Leap Forward <30M, worst all time. North Korea 1996-9, 0.2 to 3.5M
p049 Amartya Sen 1981 Poverty and Famines, starvation less with democracy or free markets.
p056 Green Revolution benefitted rural Asia, increased stratification in Latin America
p061 The Violence of the Green Revolution polemic by Vandana Shiva
BS; <1 hectare farms adopted new seeds faster than >3 hectare farms
- p064 Africa failed, because aid agencies ignored local conditions
- p071 US food aid political, pays farmers and US shippers and hinders local production
- p073 Bush attempted reform, thwarted by Congress (Bill Clinton praised Bush)
- p087 Obesity: largest driver sweetened beverages; 20 oz drink per person per day accounts for obesity
- p095 Farm subsidies in industrialized countries because labor prices rise
p113 Low Impact Sustainable Agriculture USDA 1985
- p115 Ag chemical use peaked in 1973, No-till reduced erosion in 1970s