Everything is connected

Parent Cafe
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<p>[Farm</a> Program Pays $1.3 Billion to People Who Don’t Farm - washingtonpost.com](<a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/01/AR2006070100962.html]Farm”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/01/AR2006070100962.html)</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/weekinreview/27bittman.html?_r=1&n=Top/News/Science/Topics/Animals&oref=slogin[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/weekinreview/27bittman.html?_r=1&n=Top/News/Science/Topics/Animals&oref=slogin&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>[Earth’s</a> Soils Bear Unmistakable Footprints Of Humans](<a href=“http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080125154634.htm]Earth’s”>Earth's Soils Bear Unmistakable Footprints Of Humans | ScienceDaily)</p>

<p>[People</a> Cause More Soil Erosion Than All Natural Processes](<a href=“http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041103234736.htm]People”>People Cause More Soil Erosion Than All Natural Processes | ScienceDaily)</p>

<p>[African</a> Agriculture: AGRA](<a href=“http://africanagriculture.blogspot.com/search/label/AGRA]African”>http://africanagriculture.blogspot.com/search/label/AGRA)</p>

<p>My point is that- we have enough land to feed the worlds people- if we reduce our meat consumption and use the land to grow food for people instead of growing hamburger.</p>

<p>I also share Africas concern that AGRA will make things worse.
I took a class from a Bangladeshi nutritional anthropologist a few years ago, and her observation was the when World Bank stepped in-to get farmers to buy their high yield seed- this was why it didn’t work.
Seed was expensive- it required even more money for pesticides and fertilizers that the farmers didn’t have.
Crop didn’t taste good- when the backbone of the diet consists of rice- it needs to have flavor.</p>

<p>I worry that the same thing will happen in Africa.
Already, because the fertilizer is expensive, it is being diluted by farmers- who aren’t using enough to make a difference-
We need methods that will improve soil over long term- sustainable solutions- not a crop that is genetically suseptible to being wiped out and that requires expensive ( toxic) chemicals to grow.</p>

<p>Don’t get me wrong- I think it is good- that Gates is putting his attention and his money on this worldwide concern. However- he is a computer geek, not a cultural anthropologist or soils scientist-</p>

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<p>And closer to home</p>

<p>[Harmful</a> pesticides found in everyday food products](<a href=“http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/349263_pesticide30.html]Harmful”>http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/349263_pesticide30.html)</p>

<p>I do try and buy organic food- since it has become more widely available.
Even when it was much more expensive than other produce, especially after I noticed that while I had reactions ( itchy throat & mouth) to standard produce like banana, carrots and strawberries, I didn’t when I ate organic.</p>

<p>[The</a> 12 Foods to Buy Organic - Prevention.com](<a href=“http://www.prevention.com/cda/article/the-12-foods-to-buy-organic/017a323b0b803110VgnVCM20000012281eac____/nutrition.recipes/grocery.guru/food.safety.basics]The”>http://www.prevention.com/cda/article/the-12-foods-to-buy-organic/017a323b0b803110VgnVCM20000012281eac____/nutrition.recipes/grocery.guru/food.safety.basics)</p>

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<p>Very true. Unfortunately, most people don’t care enough to give up their habit of consuming dead animals.</p>

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<p>Same here.</p>