Humanity on the brink: Collapse of food stocks just a few years away!

We are on the brink... I am not simply trying to be an alarmist, although I’m sure some will accuse me of that, but I have been watching this for a long time. Changing weather patterns, decline of Bees and other pollinating insects, collapsing fish stock are all affecting the planets ability to sustain us.

We have seen many famines before... normally affecting one country, or area of the globe, and normally caused by draught. What we are seeing now is different. We have a collection of problems slowly building up to a perfect storm that, in my opinion, will eventually see the complete collapse of global food production.

2008 was the first real warning shot. Riots were sparked around the world as the poorest nations suffered the brunt of increased food price rises.


news.bbc.co.uk...


This crisis eased off but certainly never went away. Increased prosperity of India and China, high demand for meat, farmers fields being converted for the production of bio fuels are more of the triggering factors.

Regardless of if you believe in manmade climate change or not... the planet is getting warmer, the population is growing, 10% of the world’s population consume 59% of the world’s resources. We pollute and exploit without a thought for the future... and now we are seeing the results...


Pollination crisis' hitting India's vegetable farmers

A decline in pollinating insects in India is resulting in reduced vegetable yields and could limit people's access to a nutritional diet, a study warns.
Indian researchers said there was a "clear indication" that pollinator abundance was linked to productivity.

Australia to be hit by plague of locusts on a scale not seen since records began

Australia's Darling river is running with water again after a drought in the middle of the decade reduced it to a trickle. But the rains feeding the continent's fourth-longest river are not the undiluted good news you might expect. For the cloudbursts also create ideal conditions for an unwelcome pest – the Australian plague locust.

Russia to impose temporary ban on grain exports

Russia is to ban the export of grain from 15 August to 31 December after drought and fires devastated crops.

Deadly riots in Mozambique over rising prices

Six people, including two children, are reported to have been killed during riots in Mozambique's capital, Maputo, over rising food and fuel prices.

Afghans suffer as food prices spiral upwards

Sky-rocketing food prices are threatening to cause misery in Afghanistan as the country returns to its normal routine after Eid-al-Fitr, the biggest religious festival in this Muslim-majority nation.
Some Afghans perennially struggle with poverty and food insecurity, but the recent floods in neighbouring Pakistan last month have compounded their problems.

These type scenarios have been slowly increasing in number and severity. Personally, i believe that we are on the brink of collapse. Things are going to get steadily worse over the next few years. There are solutions, but the tragedy is that the worlds population will probably never implement them for one simple reason... Greed!

It seems that as long as we have our I-Phone’s and cheap flights we will happily march singing and smiling over the precipice!


Peace

Thank you for this Muckster.

The MSM certainly isn't informing us about this,
and you've put together a nice collection of sources.

Do you know if there is some way we can track the growing demand
for food, by watching commodities markets. So we can stay informed,
and see when the pricing starts to accelerate out of control.


David Grouchy

I think we've seen a lot of unfortunate natural events recently, which for some people have proven just how fragile and ultimately interconnected our modern society is.

All it takes is one, or a few big volcanic eruptions, and it's that every man for himself SHTF scenario we've all discussed.

reply to post by davidgrouchy


No problem my friend and thank you

The easiest way to keep track of this is to check the news websites "world events" pages. Also watch the supermarkets for prices... i was aware that something was wrong, during the 2008 food crisis, long before it was announced in the media. This was mainly due to me and my wife keeping a close eye on rice prices. Rice is the staple food for many countries so if the price of rice start to increase its normally a good indicator.

Here is a link to a business analysis of the situation on the BBC website...

www.bbc.co.uk...

They seem to be playing the problem down a little bit due to the fact that the triggers causing this situation are not everyday events... However, they are failing to mention that these events are actually on the increase!

In my opinion there IS reason for alarm...

Hope that helps you a little.

Peace

Thank you for those links.

Alas, Babylon!

I was just thinking along similar lines while reading about the potential locust invasion in Australia - so many important growing areas of the world see their crops in ruins at the moment. This will surely effect all of us?

I should imagine that those who 'govern' us don't want this too widely known because of the general unrest it may cause (not that it isn't there already for some of us). Nations in panic are not a pretty sight.

No problem....

Lot's of it in stock....

going to pick up 3000 cans of it right now, thanks for the heads up...


dsatest.walmart.com...

What we're seeing is a well planed controlled demolition of the world economies including famine to thin the herd so to speak. Stock up now, stock up large amounts, stock up on seeds....Go to livestock feed stores and buy 50 lb sacks of Corn, Wheat, Soybean, Oats..etc ..for a cheap famine food supply. Most 50 lb sacks run between $6 to $12 depending on type of grain... Now that's a cheap supply of food to eat in a pinch.

I personally wonder how much of the food shortage is intentional. It could certainly benefit certain corporations such as Monsanto. Every step in the so-called "green revolution" has been made with the help of fossil fuels. Increased yields are only sustainable with intensive energy use. When fuel runs short it stands to reason food will as well.

Drought and flood have both been exacerbated by man's activities - deforestation and urban sprawl have caused an increase in frequency and severity of both.

Our insane witch hunt against insects is having negative results. We are realizing too late the importance of certain species as pollinators. Bats and birds also play a role in pollination and their numbers are going down as well.

The last leg to go is the world's fisheries. Believe it or not, there are not limitless numbers of fish in the sea for us to consume. Some scientists estimate that within 10 years our seas will be nearly empty of consumable fish.

You are correct Muckster. We are in big trouble on this planet and we all know these problems won't be solved in any scientific or civilized manner. The strong will prey on the weak and take what they need to survive.

I'm stocked up on canned and dried foods and certain other items to allow me to keep what I have saved from the hands of others who have not made any preparations for themselves. The ant and the grasshopper parable is a good one because time after time throughout history it has proven to be a truism. Nobody can say you didn't try to warn them.

www.moneymovesmarkets.com...

This is a nice lil bit of info about the food price hike. It dosent look good, soon you will be able to trade food for material objects.

I remember when others were saying that their bees were disappearing. I read the articles and I listened intently when the News spoke of the "colony collapse disorder", which amounted to "too many variables" and no amount of "understanding" of what were the causes. A typical "we don't know" sort of appeal.

During this time my gardens were filled with bees. I cherished them and I provided them with abundance as I have always done throughout the years. Yet, I have to admit, I still found that more and more of my crops were insufficient. Tomato plants that flower abundantly but with minimal fruit, squash with big yellow blooms but the female flowers fail to produce (these have male flowers and female flowers), the list goes on and on. I also have noticed that most of my flowers (annuals that must repopulate by seed) are fewer and fewer, some have even disappeared from my gardens. I have Pineapple Guava that normally produces excellent fruit but this year I had to be the "pollinator" with a small paint brush.

Now, over this past month, the worst thing imaginable. All my bees are gone. Not a single bee. I have even placed an opened jar of Honey to see if I can attract some, but three days and no bees.

Typically I have three different species of bees, including our most wonderful Honey Bee, but they are all gone. All that is left are Carpenter Bees that do not pollinate but rather cut through the flower at the stem to extract its nectar, completely bypassing the Stamens and Pistols.

Currently only the Gypsy Moth and the Hummingbirds are my pollinators, but I cannot tell you how long it has been since I have seen a Gypsy Moth. Thankfully I do have the Hummingbirds as I am on their Migratory path from Canada to Mexico, and across the Gulf to South America. (a hummer can fly across the entire Gulf without any need to stop, but upon the arrival of the shore they must find food immediately!) *this is just a snippet of thought

So, this Thread deserves the attention and deserves our thoughts; other than I feel that we are not in a "warming" trend but rather we were hit with a galactic Magnetic push that has caused warming across the Solar System, and that we are really in for another Ice Age. The Earth is in a Sweat and is about ready to take a Chill, she will shudder like she has a Fever but she will "quake" into a Deep Freeze. I believe we all know this feeling of sickness.

My Heart hurts, if we are wise we will all realize that it is our duty to "act as Bees" and begin learning how to cross pollinate our treasures on this Planet or else we might lose them entirely. We need to embrace what ever diversity we have left in this World because more and more will soon disappear from the Cycle of Life, and then eventually it will be our turn. It is our Turn! S&F

This is a great thread.

People completely take for granted where their food comes from and how fragile the whole house of cards is. I fear that what happened in Russia this summer is a portent of things to come.

Individual countries suffering shortages from worsening environmental conditions and closing their borders and instituting "protectionism" on their dwindling food supply could easily start a domino effect. Scary stuff.

reply to post by Muckster


S&F. Thats quite a bit of research! It all makes sense. I am glad I have a bit of land that I can grow som veggies on.

Wow i dont know what to say to the OP!
It really seems to getting worse! Stock up foods right now! Get canned and jar foods, cook and jar in on your own, get dehydrated foods and as much basics supplements as possible...
Nice idea with the livestock shop! But the grain and els wont be the best chioce as it is sorted out for animals... maybe even prepared with chemicals! Stay attended and inform yourself before you buy!

reply to post by Greensage

Over here in germany the same... I have never had such a bad harvest than this year... Its ...well, very bad!
And i also have seen my last bee in ...june! As we had a hard winter they came very late and i was even then wondering how few they where... and then no more! I realized it very late so many of my crops didn´t bloom...
Usually i used the veggies and fruits for winter supply but this year i have to buy extra food!
Oh and by the way i do permaculture! It really seems that my garden is dying off...

I am even thinking to get into beekeeping next year. I plan to build up a huge glasshouse and hold them in there... Hope that will work...

Peace, love and light
to you all...

Jim

Hmm, this is not good.

Selfish me simply looks at my vegetable garden and down towards my little canal filled with fish and feels fairly safe from the epidemic...but once I feel secure myself, I consider people in a city whom do not have a private little canal filled with fish or a veggie garden...

Who knows, this may be a elaborate conspiracy for some megacorps to introduce synthetic meat and veggies to a starving population and get them hooked on that. using a really dumb argument to support my claim would be that the bee's in my area are doing just fine...so for now, I only hear about the declining bee's through the msm and the scientists report.

but then again...this is like saying global warming isn't real because it got cold last winter....its a nonsense argument.

lets just say...sometimes you hope its a conspiracy verses a truth..a conspiracy we can reverse once its blown open..a truth means we are sort of powerless and screwed.

Originally posted by lasertaglover
Thank you for those links.

Alas, Babylon!

lol - very pertinent... and what a great book


Oh... just one more thing to add... Its not only our food supply that faces a crisis, 80% of the worlds population live in areas were fresh water is under threat...

Water map shows billions at risk of 'water insecurity'

About 80% of the world's population lives in areas where the fresh water supply is not secure, according to a new global analysis.

Researchers compiled a composite index of "water threats" that includes issues such as scarcity and pollution.

There was a quote i heard once, can’t remember who from, which said “the next major war would not be fought over Oil, but over fresh water”

Scary times ahead!