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To: Cogito Ergo Sum who wrote (70564)	1/27/2011 12:05:02 AM
From: SG	Respond to of 218584

That's pretty funny, old Donovan I hadn't heard, thx. SG

To: Cogito Ergo Sum who wrote (70564)	1/27/2011 12:05:23 AM
From: SG	Respond to of 218584

That's pretty funny, old Donovan I hadn't heard, thx. SG

To: Cogito Ergo Sum who wrote (70564)	1/27/2011 12:06:08 AM
From: SG	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 218584

That's pretty funny, old Donovan I hadn't heard, thx. SG

To: Cogito Ergo Sum who wrote (70564)	1/27/2011 4:53:33 AM
From: elmatador	Respond to of 218584

Not only oil. Era of low-cost food is over, study warns By Clive Cookson in London Published: January 24 2011 18:11 \| Last updated: January 24 2011 23:35 The era of cheap food is at an end, with the real prices of key crops set to rise 50-100 per cent during the next 40 years, according to a UK government report. The “global food and farming futures” study, one of the largest of its kind with contributions from 400 experts in 35 countries, concludes that productivity growth will no longer be able to keep pace with rising demand for food, as it has in recent decades. If supplies are to increase sufficiently to prevent widespread starvation as the global population heads towards 9bn, an “agricultural revolution” is needed, says the report produced by the Foresight think-tank. The term “sustainable intensification” is used to describe the method of enlisting all technologies, including genetic modification, to grow more food on the same land area – 4.6bn hectares – without damaging the environment or requiring excessive inputs of energy and fertiliser. Even today, when hunger is not a big political issue globally, an estimated 925m people lack enough to eat and a further 1bn suffer from “hidden hunger” because essential nutrients are missing from their diet. Conversely, 1bn are “substantially over-consuming”, spawning a new public health epidemic involving the chronic diseases associated with obesity. Besides inadequate food supplies, the biggest issue addressed in the Foresight report is the unsustainability of farming today. “The global food system is living outside its means, consuming resources faster than they are naturally replenished,” the report says. “It must be redesigned to bring sustainability centre stage. Substantial changes will be required throughout the food system and related areas, such as water use, energy use and addressing climate change.” But growing more food more sustainably may not be sufficient on its own, the report says. “Addressing waste across the entire food chain will be critical in any strategy to feed around 8bn people sustainably and equitably by 2030.” At least 30 per cent of food grown – and as much as 50 per cent according to some estimates – is lost or wasted before or after it reaches the consumer. Evidence collected for the study shows that a realistic target would be to halve the amount of food wasted by 2050, which would cut the amount of food required by a quarter of today’s production. Another thrust of the report is the need to improve governance of the international food system, in particular by reducing subsidies and trade barriers that disadvantage poor countries. Economic modelling for the project showed trade restrictions amplify shocks and add to price volatility, as in the 2007-08 spike, which led to an extra 100m people going hungry. The ministers sponsoring the project, responsible for farming and the environment, international development and science, said they would push for global action on food security. Caroline Spelman, UK environment secretary, emphasised the free trade recommendations. “To fuel this revolution, we must open up global markets, boost global trade and make reforms that help the poorest,” she said. “Trade restrictions must be avoided, especially at times of scarcity. And we must manage price volatility by building trust and co-operation – and in particular by creating greater transparency around the true levels of food stocks.” Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2011. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.