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then... you could dump it in the ocean and feed fish to help the fishing industry (which arguably would be a wise thing anyway given Japan's love of seafood). I
by inanutshellus 2y ago
then... you could dump it in the ocean and feed fish to help the fishing industry (which arguably would be a wise thing anyway given Japan's love of seafood). IIRC the USA did (does?) that with corn.
- HumblyTossed 2y agoIsn't that also how we ended up having corn in so much food we produce.
- ambicapter 2y agoDumping it into the ocean? Probably not.
- BlueTemplar 2y agoThat would be particularly stupid : agriculture is not something sustainable (at scales of thousands of years), and especially not agriculture using fertilizer based on fossil fuels (only sustainable at scales of hundreds of years ?), which I presume Japanese farmers use ? And you suggest that they deplete this non-renewable resource faster ?
- inanutshellus 2y agoThe intent was to strategically react to crises, as opposed to the existing perpetual (60 years and counting) bribe program. Strategically/rarely buying and dumping excessively cheap grain would bolster farmers' livelihoods, prevent price collapse, and... some fish get fed one time.
- jncfhnb 2y agoThen the farmers are incentivized to overproduce every year because the government will buy the crops
- inanutshellus 2y agoCrisis inherently implies rarity. If every day for sixty years is a crisis, it's time to reevaluate bigger life choices. Feels like we're just having fun poking invented holes rather than arguing in good faith here.
- jncfhnb 2y agoIt wouldn’t be a rarity if you create an incentive structure that rewards overproduction
- marcosdumay 2y agoYou react to crises by storing grain. Not by dumping it or by underproducing.
- inanutshellus 2y agoNo the problem is overproduction. Storing grain would give you even more grain, further increasing the crisis (which is price, not availability).
- marcosdumay 2y agoYou solve temporary overproduction with storage. You solve permanent overproduction with mobbing people together and demanding that the government stops mandating it. Because it only exists when the government mandates it. If you want to soften the blow into people that have to learn how to grow some completely different crop. You go and do that, you don't create an entire class entitled to permanent societal support for not working.