"Never mind what climate change will eventually do to the world food supply. The crisis is coming sooner than that., and it is quite unavoidable. We are living way beyond our means."
Gwynne Dyer describes irrigation's end-game. Sucking dry aquifers and rivers is a feature of civilization's mismanagement of resources across history and this latest round looks to be going to end they way it has in the past - with collapse. We are swinging into the irrigation boogie bigtime here in New Zealand and I've no doubt at at that we are setting up for our own downfall. Match your agricultural practices to the conditions, not the other way round. Seems obvious to me.
"In the Middle East, Israel banned all irrigation of wheat in 2000 to conserve the remaining underground water. It now imports 98% of its grain. More recently, Saudi Arabia, which was self-sufficient in wheat production only 5 years ago, decided to shut grain-growing down before the major aquifer under it runs dry. Next year it will import all its grain.
Saudi Arabia will be able to go on importing grain even when the price is twice what it is now, and so will Israel. But there are a great many countries that will lose their ability to feed their own people once the irrigation bubble bursts, and they will not be able to afford to import food at the vastly inflated prices that ensue."
Friday, August 12, 2011
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
The National Geographic states that it takes 300 litres of water to make 1 litre of milk, given that the government is boosting the continued growth of the dairy industry by hugely subsidising further irrigation schemes (up to $400 million), we are well on the way to causing a demand beyond the sustainable supply!
Right now the issue here, Rg, is there is a wee tad too much water! And the rain continues to fall.
But your post does pose the question that needs the attention - water and its place in food production.
I have no answers myself, and I watch the debate with interest.
What are your solutions to the issue?
On a local level Fred, don't build irrigation systems - change your farming practices to suit conditions. Change crops if need be. Irrigation projects end in ruination. have you seen the Maniatoto recently? They're heading for trouble.
Globally, localize food production to the extent that local needs are secured, then grow for export if you must. The reverse is happening and disaster hovers over those non-resiliant systems. Do you know the 'effeciency versus resiliance' argument? It's very interesting. The more efficient you become, the less stable your system and the more easily it can be broken. 'Slower' less efficient systems have built in 'toughness' that means they can tae shocks. Efficient systems fall quicly because they are so immediate. These days, we adore efficiency. Not wise in my view.
Bsprout - yep. Water=wealth and locals are losing their control over water - it's going to central government.
Water is our asset.Its just in the wrong place -west in the SI . Not a great problem to ship it under the great divide and produce power on the way?
Post a Comment