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I forgot to add that while what I say below applies to situations such as natural disasters and possible oil disruptions it's a very different story for food prices especially in countries where many people cannot afford to have more than one or two days worth of food on hand at any one point! On Sun, Oct 28, 2012 at 11:30 AM, Raven Marie Cretney < [log in to unmask]> wrote: > I think these concerns are really interesting and certainly very salient > given the situation in many countries of varying levels of development and > economic activity - as the impending hurricane Sandy demonstrates. > > However I would say that one area that can be improved in terms of > securing the short term food security of many places and I theorise this > too could apply to cities is that social resilience networks within > communities can in many ways tide people over. In a community with > sufficient organisation and social capital riots should not begin from > three meals following a disruption to a supply chain! > > For instance I have been working with an albeit small community that was > isolated after the New Zealand Christchurch earthquake in Feb 2011. Because > they have strong social networks and social capital built up by a > grassroots group there they were able to support the community, > particularly the vulnerable such as the elderly during this time. They > utilised their current resources, food in their pantries, home gardens and > community gardens. Food that was in stores was collected and distributed > through a make shift yet free of charge supermarket managed by the people > in the community. Many people reported self restricting what they received > so that it was available to be shared around. > > While this was not a long term solution and basic supply chains were > restored in several days and more sophisticated ones in several weeks the > community still has no supermarket chain which has further strengthened the > groups plans for improving food security in the area. > > It's not a long term solution but I think it's really important to look at > the ways communities can regulate and organise themselves to cope with such > short term disruptions to food supply chains. It is in my opinion the first > and most easiest implemented step in increasing food security. > > Raven Cretney > > Master of Environmental Studies Candidate > School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences > Te Whare Wananga o te Upoko o te Ika a Maui > Victoria University of Wellington > PO Box 600 > New Zealand > > Ph: 0275120500 > Email: [log in to unmask] > Work Email: [log in to unmask] > > > On Sat, Oct 27, 2012 at 5:07 AM, Hillary Shaw <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > >> Interesting posting. There is a saying (the CIA, I think) that 'cities >> are three meals away from a riot',meaning of course that should supply >> chains break down for any reason - fuel shortages, Gulf conflict, >> natural disaster, strikes etc - people would miss dinner, then lunch + >> dinner the next day, then that night the riots would begin. >> >> The madness is that mankind actually produces (or did till around 2010 >> at any rate) more food per capita than we did in 1960. That's right, per >> capita, despite massive increase in global population since then. Due >> to the Green Revolution; but we are now 'eating oil', this increase is >> crucially dependent on non renewables, oil but also water, nitrogen >> fertilisers (themselves energy = oil dependent). We have as many >> overweight + obese people on the planet as undernourtished + malnourished >> >> Two pieces of good news. World population will probably level off at 9.5 >> - 10 billion in 2050, 'only' some 40% more than now, then slowly fall. >> So - glass half full or half empty - we only have to feed 40% more than now- or >> - we have to find food for another China plus India, plus maybe another >> USA too. >> >> Secondly, we have a lot of unused food production capacity. Much agric >> land in less-developed countries lies unused (OK, it may now be valiuable >> rainforest, but much else is minefields, or civil war battlegrounds, or >> just fallow and reverting to bush and scrub, due to rural depopulation as >> the cities balloon. Even in the developed world, much land is idle. If >> you live in a Western town or city, I will bet you £1 to £100 that within >> 1,000 metres of your home I can show you at least 10 hectares of land (maybe >> nearer 100) that could grow food that isn't, right now. Railwayembankments, roundabouts, disused railways, roadside verges, disused >> factories, fringes of sports grounds, and that's before we even think of >> domestic gardens and parks. Google Ashram Acres, Birmingham, UK (they >> have solved the issue of old industrial pollution by having raised veg >> beds), google Dig for Victory and Cuba. Do we have the political will >> to improve this utliisation? >> >> The bad news is, more people becoming rich enough to switch from rice to >> meat (but as they grow richer they have less children, so less future >> mouths to feed - female education is also pretty good here - and Iran's >> fall in fertility rate has been pretty spectacular, from 6.0 to 2.5 in just >> a few decades), climate change, and of course the evil food speculators. >> Maybe the world's poor should develop an exchange to speculate on >> bankers salaries, then see the financial ethical attitude change swiftly! >> >> Dr Hillary Shaw >> Food and Supply Chain Management Department >> Harper Adams University College >> Newport >> Shropshire >> TF10 8NB >> www.fooddeserts.org >> *Gyneria, a country where discrimmination is acceptable, >> In education, jobs, pay status, and more; >> Gyneria, the land of women.* >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Rory Padfield <[log in to unmask]> >> To: CRIT-GEOG-FORUM <[log in to unmask]> >> Sent: Fri, 26 Oct 2012 5:10 >> Subject: Riots and global food price spikes >> >> Interesting take on the Arab spring riots - linked to spikes in food prices. >> http://motherboard.vice.com/2012/9/10/we-are-now-one-year-and-counting-from-global-riots-complex-systems-theorists-say--2 >> >> If you're time limited, take a quick look at the diagram 3 paragraphs in: food >> price index against riots. >> >> "...whenever the UN’s food price index, which measures the monthly change in the >> price of a basket of food commodities, climbs above 210, the conditions ripen >> for social unrest around the world. CSI doesn’t claim that any breach of 210 >> immediately leads to riots, obviously; just that the probability that riots will >> erupt grows much greater." >> >> > > > -- > Master of Environmental Studies Candidate > School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences > Te Whare Wananga o te Upoko o te Ika a Maui > Victoria University of Wellington > PO Box 600 > New Zealand > > Ph: 0275120500 > Email: [log in to unmask] > Work Email: [log in to unmask] > > -- Master of Environmental Studies Candidate School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences Te Whare Wananga o te Upoko o te Ika a Maui Victoria University of Wellington PO Box 600 New Zealand Ph: 0275120500 Email: [log in to unmask] Work Email: [log in to unmask]