5 ms·

We already produce too much food.

by thatfrenchguy 8y ago

pascalxus 8y ago
not too much of the healthy variety: fruits and vegetables
- bryanlarsen 8y ago
  Farmers would produce lots more of those if the price was higher.
ska 8y ago
Notwithstanding the article, focusing on volume as the primary metric has been the driver of many of the problems with industrial agriculture. Producing "more" isn't the only target worth thinking about.
hangonhn 8y ago
I think one idea is to produce good, healthy food closer to where people are instead of producing it from far away and then having to deal with transportation and preservation of food. It would allow urban dwellers cheaper and more available access to healthy foods.
- nradov 8y ago
  Food transportation is a solved problem. There is zero evidence that this would make food cheaper or more accessible.
chaostheory 8y ago
There's also a lot of food waste that we are just beginning to fix.
coldcode 8y ago
People all over the world are starving. The correct description is that we produce too much food where it brings profit, but not enough where it keeps people from starving.
- dragonwriter 8y ago
  No we produce plenty of food, full stop. Starvation is a distribution problem, not a production problem, and most commonly a local distribution problem.
  - GW150914 8y ago
    It’s also a not giving a shit problem in many cases. Everyone starving isn’t in a war zone or subject to epic corruption and seizure of goods. Some people starve and go malnourished in the US and other wealthy countries for lack of anyone really caring. A hard problem to hide not giving a shit behind is the kiss of death.
    - dragonwriter 8y ago
      > It’s also a not giving a shit problem in many cases. Sure, not as an alternative to a distribution problem but as the reason that exists/continues in many cases. > Everyone starving isn’t in a war zone or subject to epic corruption and seizure of goods. Some people starve and go malnourished in the US and other wealthy countries for lack of anyone really caring. The idea that the capitalist core of modern developed economies isn't itself a form of systematic seizure of goods is somethingnthat the critics who gave capitalism its name would have issue with.
  - fraudsyndrome 8y ago
    knew someone that managed the packaging from the farmers to the large supermarket chains in Australia - they'd literally throw away good food that had the slightest cut/bruise. This stuff went straight into the garbage, not the composting facility or anything.
- armenarmen 8y ago
  Sure, at the same time though the number of people starving is down from a billion in the 90's to ~800mm now. Despite the population growing by about 2 billion in that time frame. This is probably the least hungry time in the history of our species

We already produce too much food.

pascalxus 8y ago

not too much of the healthy variety: fruits and vegetables

bryanlarsen 8y ago
Farmers would produce lots more of those if the price was higher.

ska 8y ago

Notwithstanding the article, focusing on volume as the primary metric has been the driver of many of the problems with industrial agriculture. Producing "more" isn't the only target worth thinking about.

hangonhn 8y ago

I think one idea is to produce good, healthy food closer to where people are instead of producing it from far away and then having to deal with transportation and preservation of food. It would allow urban dwellers cheaper and more available access to healthy foods.

nradov 8y ago
Food transportation is a solved problem. There is zero evidence that this would make food cheaper or more accessible.

chaostheory 8y ago

There's also a lot of food waste that we are just beginning to fix.

coldcode 8y ago

People all over the world are starving. The correct description is that we produce too much food where it brings profit, but not enough where it keeps people from starving.

dragonwriter 8y ago
No we produce plenty of food, full stop. Starvation is a distribution problem, not a production problem, and most commonly a local distribution problem.
- GW150914 8y ago
  It’s also a not giving a shit problem in many cases. Everyone starving isn’t in a war zone or subject to epic corruption and seizure of goods. Some people starve and go malnourished in the US and other wealthy countries for lack of anyone really caring. A hard problem to hide not giving a shit behind is the kiss of death.
  - dragonwriter 8y ago
    > It’s also a not giving a shit problem in many cases. Sure, not as an alternative to a distribution problem but as the reason that exists/continues in many cases. > Everyone starving isn’t in a war zone or subject to epic corruption and seizure of goods. Some people starve and go malnourished in the US and other wealthy countries for lack of anyone really caring. The idea that the capitalist core of modern developed economies isn't itself a form of systematic seizure of goods is somethingnthat the critics who gave capitalism its name would have issue with.
- fraudsyndrome 8y ago
  knew someone that managed the packaging from the farmers to the large supermarket chains in Australia - they'd literally throw away good food that had the slightest cut/bruise. This stuff went straight into the garbage, not the composting facility or anything.
armenarmen 8y ago
Sure, at the same time though the number of people starving is down from a billion in the 90's to ~800mm now. Despite the population growing by about 2 billion in that time frame. This is probably the least hungry time in the history of our species