What is food security?
Food security is the ability to produce enough food in a local area to feed the the population using organic and sustainable methods.
Why is this important?
There are a number of reasons and more important I live on an Island off the west coast of Canada called Vancouver Island and at any given time there is only enough food on the island to feed the population for 3 days. Most experts on emergency preparedness estimate in the event of a disaster like an earth quake this island could be cut of from food and supplies for weeks if not months.
We sit in an area called the ring of fire just like Japan, Chile, and New Zealand.
This means at the present time we have set ourselves up for serious consequences.
Not only should we be concerned about an earthquake there are also a number of other looming catastrophes.
What are the other problems we face?
Most of our food not grown here comes from the southwest united states. The water supply that is used to irrigate the crops is rapidly depleting. The aquifer is drying up. No water no food.
The ocean where we get a large amount of fish is going through a number of crises. The acidification of the ocean is causing what is known as dead zones. The coral reefs that support tens of millions of species are dying at an alarming rate. The temperature of the ocean is rising and there is another impending die off of animal life in the oceans. The pesticides, sewage and fertilizers are running into the oceans and producing abnormally high rates of growth of certain algae that chokes off the oxygen in that area and kills off large numbers of marine life.
As times get difficult for the fishermen they resort to drastic methods further destroying the very breeding grounds and habitat of the fish.
Peak oil
When the amount of work and energy required to extract the remaining oil from the ground gets so expensive it no longer makes it a viable fuel.
No fuel no fertilizers and now not able to use the large machinery to plant and harvest the crops food production cannot continue.
Not to forget the trucks to transport the food from long distances will not be able to afford the fuel
What about the threat of terrorism?
The Economic Crisis
Most experts suggest we are in for a big change in the money system. There are just too many countries on the verge of bankruptcy and no good answers in sight. The methods used are not solving the problems. House foreclosures are still rising in the US and unemployment is on the rise with few good full time jobs being created. Food costs are going up and the quality and affordability of good healthy food comes into question.
What about the current state of health of the north american population obesity and type 2 diabetes almost at epidemic levels and closely tied to food and lifestyle including the ever increasing levels of personal stress.
So what do we do?
There are great examples of countries pulling themselves out of these crises and growing healthy organic food to feed their poulation.
My feeling is that each one of us can contribute and we can be the solution.
The purpose of this blog is to explore what has been done what is being done and each and everyone can use these methods to easily contribute to abundant organic healthy food.
The methods will be displayed at a local fair The Coombs fair on August 13 and 14, 2011 as well as on this blog.
We will along with the local help present Aquaponics and how this can be used, a method called earth boxes and the many ways of making them and using them along with updates on the progress of the food currently being grown with this method.
So come back regularly and watch the progress. We are all in this together.
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