> The standard rational - supporting farmers is > supporting food security, but it generally > isn't true, because a vast proportion of farm > subsidies do not actively support the growing of > staple crops but merely corporate profits. > A considerable amount of farming subsidies > discourage actual farming. the rich countries > are not delivering on their promise of removing > farm subsidies and opening farm trade that > poorer nations can actually provide. > our seas are bcoming depleted with voracious > nations moving from fishery to fishery as they > exhaust them. some 40% of the worlds protein is > currently taken form the sea at unsustainable > rates while, again according to Jared Diamond, > expert opinion is that a wellmanaged fishing > industry could sustainably take twice the > current amount.
very well put euan, i would add that more nations should follow the model of cuba and new zealand. unfortunately the domestic sheep population in new zealand numbers over 75 million (mostly for export) and their hooves are destroying pasture that used to be rain forest. the human population is less than 5 million... http://www.maf.govt.nz/mafnet/rural-nz/sustainable-resource-use/organic-production/organic-farming-in-nz/org10005.htm#E11E5 http://multinationalmonitor.org/hyper/issues/1994/11/mm1194_06.html jon _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
