4 ms·

Yes, the real limit on food production is profitability. Plenty of America's arable land lies fallow or has condos built atop it. I will say however that it se

Yes, the real limit on food production is profitability. Plenty of America's arable land lies fallow or has condos built atop it. I will say however that it seems some of our large food supply sources may be in danger and the economic and human cost of pivoting a food supply chain will be astronomical.

maxerickson 12y ago
Only about 3% of the US is urbanized: http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib-economic-information-bulletin/eib89.aspx http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib-economic-informatio... There is certainly lots of additional land that could be utilized with modern farming practice. Water is probably the bigger problem.
- ThrustVectoring 12y ago
  There is plenty of water. Fresh water near farmland is the problem. This is fixable by a relatively straightforward application of infrastructure and energy consumption (desalinization and pumping. Hydroponics may be preferable over pumping long distances, but it's still fundamentally an infrastructure and energy problem.)
- DubiousPusher 12y ago
  The condo comment was kind of a joke. It's a Montanan joke so I probably should've gauged my audience better. My main point, which seems to have been lost here is that the main impediment to increased food production is economic. Whether the economic pressures creating the situation are born out of greed, over-regulation or something else I didn't speculate. The land is there. The water is there. The equipment is procurable as well as the labor. It's a simple factor of motivation. Our semi-free market produces the current amount of food. A more free market would likely (but may not) produce less. A more regulated market could (but may not) produce more.
  - JoeAltmaier 12y ago
    I look forward to a time when micro-machines (chips?) produce proteins, carbohydrates etc from raw materials (air?) Then energy, water and food become one fungible thing. Imagine cutting out the whole supply chain for staples (farming, machinery production, transportation, middlemen, processing, distribution and sales) and turning it into a machine on your kitchen counter that emits rice. Changes the whole game.
  - maxerickson 12y ago
    I didn't understand that it was a joke. There are real people who are concerned we are paving the whole world though, which is a misunderstanding that I like to push back against.
Shivetya 12y ago
a very large portion of America's arable land is the property of the government, mostly Federal. I doubt there is little difference in many Western countries. The limit seems to be the extent at which governments will continue to pay for excess food production. The limit of feeding who is on this planet is purely political, political in that certain nations are ruled by despots who care not for their people and political for the lack of political will for those other nations who will not act to correct it.
- happyscrappy 12y ago
  >political for the lack of political will for those other nations who will not act to correct it. I think we have had quite enough adventurism, people have to stand up for themselves and what type of future their kids will have.

maxerickson 12y ago

Only about 3% of the US is urbanized: http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib-economic-information-bulletin/eib89.aspx http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib-economic-informatio... There is certainly lots of additional land that could be utilized with modern farming practice. Water is probably the bigger problem.

ThrustVectoring 12y ago
There is plenty of water. Fresh water near farmland is the problem. This is fixable by a relatively straightforward application of infrastructure and energy consumption (desalinization and pumping. Hydroponics may be preferable over pumping long distances, but it's still fundamentally an infrastructure and energy problem.)
DubiousPusher 12y ago
The condo comment was kind of a joke. It's a Montanan joke so I probably should've gauged my audience better. My main point, which seems to have been lost here is that the main impediment to increased food production is economic. Whether the economic pressures creating the situation are born out of greed, over-regulation or something else I didn't speculate. The land is there. The water is there. The equipment is procurable as well as the labor. It's a simple factor of motivation. Our semi-free market produces the current amount of food. A more free market would likely (but may not) produce less. A more regulated market could (but may not) produce more.
- JoeAltmaier 12y ago
  I look forward to a time when micro-machines (chips?) produce proteins, carbohydrates etc from raw materials (air?) Then energy, water and food become one fungible thing. Imagine cutting out the whole supply chain for staples (farming, machinery production, transportation, middlemen, processing, distribution and sales) and turning it into a machine on your kitchen counter that emits rice. Changes the whole game.
- maxerickson 12y ago
  I didn't understand that it was a joke. There are real people who are concerned we are paving the whole world though, which is a misunderstanding that I like to push back against.

Shivetya 12y ago

a very large portion of America's arable land is the property of the government, mostly Federal. I doubt there is little difference in many Western countries. The limit seems to be the extent at which governments will continue to pay for excess food production. The limit of feeding who is on this planet is purely political, political in that certain nations are ruled by despots who care not for their people and political for the lack of political will for those other nations who will not act to correct it.

happyscrappy 12y ago
>political for the lack of political will for those other nations who will not act to correct it. I think we have had quite enough adventurism, people have to stand up for themselves and what type of future their kids will have.