When will the food supply run out?

[frooger]

I heard in 2030 or 2040 there may be food supply shortages. There are so many people, and new houses and roads being built. I will have to investigate this further. We may have to resort to more genetically engineered food as a lot of land is becoming unfarmable. Or biotech or whatever....
The population is really exploding...
Not to mention global warming.....
Icecaps are melting.....
Record high temps......

[nightrider127]

:confused:

[justinenycole26]

Huh?

[cleaningla]

Where'd you here this?

[frooger]

here is an article but not the one I've been looking for.
article (srimedia.com/artman/publish/article_702.shtml)

[zitra]

So far all of the crops here have been doing great (IL~corn, soy beans)

[schsa]

It is highly unlikely that we will run out of food. Our country feeds most of the world because we are able to produce an abundance of food. Now there may be other nations where there will problems with starvation but not here. We have so much food that we give it away to starving countries.

Plus we are very resourceful. Anyone with a 3'x3' square can grow tomatoes, beans, strawberries, and corn if they want. One dairy cow produces 14 gallons of milk a day for 9 months. So one cow could keep several families in milk for a long period of time.

I don't see a food shortage. I do believe that we have to make third world nations understand that having endless children is not good. I also think that it would only take one really horrible disease and the population would be depleted enough that a shortage would not exist for any country.

These predictions are based on what is happening now. We know that our world is constantly changing. Just because we have this information today doesn't mean that one thing might change the entire scenario.

[DivineMsDi]

[QUOTE=schsa]
I do believe that we have to make third world nations understand that having endless children is not good. I also think that it would only take one really horrible disease and the population would be depleted enough that a shortage would not exist for any country.

I agree with this being a HUGE problem. If you look at the birth rates in Asia and particularly Africa, (and yes, the Middle East) you will see that in some countries women have an average of 6 or 7 kids.

Please don't jump on me and say "What the %%%% do you care if someone has 10 kids. It is not your business. I have 5, 6, 7 whatever kids and it is not for you to say....blah, blah.."

It is not about you...it's about these poor nations who get resources from the USA and other developed nations.
In those third world nations the families on the most part CANNOT afford to take care of them. Also, they keep having kids because they have no clue about birth control, don't believe in it, or they have more kids to work the land, but these additional kids are a drain on the family. In many of those nations, the kids die from malnutrition or disease, so the parents have more kids.

How can these folks ever get out from under when they are producing so many kids they CANNOT afford to feed? :confused:

[frooger]

But after some period of time isn't the land unusable to grow anything on it?
There is a special word that I can't think of right now.....
I don't know..I'm too tired to get much into this right now.

[schsa]

We have alot of resources to replenish land. Although farmer now use all sorts of methods to enhance their soil, the whole point of crop rotation which came about in the 1800's is essential for rejuvinating soil. Plus adding cow manure and other nutrients (you can use anything from amonia, cola sodas, and beer) will make the soild more nutritious for plants.

[katzenberg]

:) i also read where you can grow with out soil .its calledhydroponics.so they could try to grow without soil.

[Technologist]

2 words..... "Soylent Green"...... LOL!

[ahippiechic]

Classic Sci-Fi! :D

[iluvmybaby]

Ok I know that I might get flamed for this, so I will say I hope that I dont offend anyone, might as well say it in advance. I vote that we take care of our own, stop sending $ and food to other places, when there are so many in need HERE. Get affordable healthcare, make sure no one is living on the street, or goes to vbed hungry.

[Kelsey1224]

Ok I know that I might get flamed for this, so I will say I hope that I dont offend anyone, might as well say it in advance. I vote that we take care of our own, stop sending $ and food to other places, when there are so many in need HERE. Get affordable healthcare, make sure no one is living on the street, or goes to vbed hungry.

You won't get flamed, but I don't think one has to do with the other.

We have surplus food which would be destroyed otherwise. I have no problems sending the surplus food to countries where people are starving.

However...that being said...I agree that I would prefer that more money was spent on our citizens than is being sent to countries who don't even appreciate it anyway.

[VALENA-)45]

[QUOTE=schsa]
I do believe that we have to make third world nations understand that having endless children is not good. I also think that it would only take one really horrible disease and the population would be depleted enough that a shortage would not exist for any country.

I agree with this being a HUGE problem. If you look at the birth rates in Asia and particularly Africa, (and yes, the Middle East) you will see that in some countries women have an average of 6 or 7 kids.

Please don't jump on me and say "What the %%%% do you care if someone has 10 kids. It is not your business. I have 5, 6, 7 whatever kids and it is not for you to say....blah, blah.."

It is not about you...it's about these poor nations who get resources from the USA and other developed nations.
In those third world nations the families on the most part CANNOT afford to take care of them. Also, they keep having kids because they have no clue about birth control, don't believe in it, or they have more kids to work the land, but these additional kids are a drain on the family. In many of those nations, the kids die from malnutrition or disease, so the parents have more kids.

How can these folks ever get out from under when they are producing so many kids they CANNOT afford to feed? :confused: In some of the third world countries, even though there is birth control, some are not allowed to use it, cause it is ether againest their relegion, or their husbands have the control and they are the ones that say "no", to birth control. Where i live in upstate NY, we have community gardens, where some of the people that live in housing projects, bid for pieces of land. And they grow corn, greens, tomatoes, lettice, and various other vegtables. This is done every year, but not the same people, always get the land, sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. the people that grow the vegtables, some just grow them for their own families and some share them with the community. And i do agree, we do need to take care of the people here in the States that need help with housing, food, and jobs. but, the u.s., goverment will always take care of other countries, before they take care of their own. The people need to put this on a ballot and let the people vote on it. And the u.s. goverment will be out voted.

[joaimee]

One of my favoriter old sayings is "Give a man a fish he eats for a day, teach him to fish he eats for a lifetime." Just like Ravenlost was saying, anyone can learn to be more self-sustaining. In just the four years I have lived on my farm, I have learned to raise and butcher my own chickens, rabbits and learned how to can vegetables, make my own spaghetti sauce, jelly, jam, and even my own wine (out of dandelions!) All I had to do was pick up a book and read. I would love to learn more about being self-sustaining, like gathering wildfoods and especially mushroom hunting!
As far as the soil goes, to be a good farmer is to be a steward of the land, and again like Ravenlost you take care of your land so that it can take care of you!

[texasgander]

Oh, Tech.....IT'S PEOPLE!!! LOL!

I think someone is just trying to stir people up! We have way more food than we could ever need! (No, I'm NOT referring to the OP).

I've got 6 tomatoe plants and 2 pepper plants in my backyard right now....I'll be giving away because they are all loaded! (I guess the radicals up in the mountains of several states will be stockpiling even more now! LOL!)

[MommyG3]

Yummy. I just ate. I agree with Raven. I have a friend who recently purchased a goat so she will be drinking goats milk, making her own cheese, and not having to mow 6 acres of land is a plus. She has grown her own herbs in the past too. I am about ready to do the same. I have 3 of those stone planters that are about 2' long. I am planning on planting tomatos in one, 3 different herbs in another...and I don't know about the other.

SUGGESTION: maybe we could have a GROWING YOUR OWN GARDEN forum.

[schsa]

Even if we kept all of the food we produced we would have far too much for our country alone. Especially in grain. And over production is taken advantage of by Second Harvest. They go out and re-pick in the fields so that people who are poor can have fresh veggies and fruits.

You can learn to do all of this yourself. I have enough land that I could produce enough food to keep myself going for a very long time. I may not be able to produce enough grain to keep a cow but someone else will and maybe I can trade something I grow for grain.

We could literally feed the world if we wanted to. Our technology in being able to produce disease resistant/bug resistant plants is expanding. Yes there are those who are producing genetically altered plants but that may not be the future. Hydropontics is a great way to produce food. You just add nutrients to the water and plants grow without soil.

I doubt if we will ever go looking for food because we can't produce enough.