farmer markets are cheaper or more expensivd, depending on the item and time of year. csa packets are actually quite competitive. of course, farmer markets are distribution, and outside of the corporate network. kirk's point was that there aren't enough of them (at least that's how i read it), and that it's no accident that they are more or less on the margin.
On 2/27/08, Keith Addison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hello John > > >As many of us know, the earth's ability to supply resources for 6 > >billion people has reached it's limit. Now it's which end use these > >resources are assigned. Food or fuel? More of one means less of the > >other. We are in decline. > > Then many of us know wrong. It's not true, and it doesn't take a lot > of research to establish that. > > What has been reached, long since, is the earth's ability to supply > resources to feed the twin black holes of rich-country consumerism > and the global corporate pillaging that depends on it (and created it > and maintains it). > > About 1.2 billion people go hungry, but that's not because of a > shortage of food. There's more than enough food for everybody, more > food per capita than there's ever been before. They're hungry because > that's how the industrial food production and distribution system > works - they simply get shoved aside, out of the picture. > > The food vs fuel controversy also falls apart when you have a closer > look. Sustainable food production and sustainable fuel production are > compatible, even complementary, and can supply the needs of a much > bigger population than 6 billion. But not if we leave it to the > business-as-usual folks either to do it for us or to dictate the way > we live. > > See eg.: > <http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/msg69331.html> > Myth 3: Too Many Mouths to Feed > > Best > > Keith > > > >Keith Addison wrote: > >> Brownfield: Ag News of America > >> > >> Consumers can and will pay more for food > >> Monday, February 25, 2008, 3:12 PM > >> > >> by Peter Shinn > >> > >> For the past 11 years, the American Farm Bureau Federation has > >> celebrated the fact that Americans generally pay around 10% of their > >> total income for food, the lowest total of any nation on earth, with > >> an event called "Food Checkout Day." It's typically held in the first > >> week of February to symbolize the number of days the average American > >> has to work in order to earn enough money to pay for their food bill. > >> But due to a wide range of factors, it looks like that date may have > >> to be pushed back next year. > >> > >> In fact, U.S. consumers have enjoyed steady to declining food prices, > >> at least in real terms, for many years. That's according to Bill > >> Lapp, President of Advanced Economic Solutions, who says those good > >> times for American food consumers are over, most likely forever. > >> > >> Lapp, the former leading economist for ConAgra, told Brownfield bread > >> prices rose over 10% in 2007 and are likely to do at least that again > >> this year. He added other food prices will also head higher as food > >> manufacturers increasingly pass on the costs of high commodities to > >> consumers. The good news, Lapp said, is that most U.S. consumers can > >> afford to pay up, even if they won't have much choice in the matter. > >> > >> "I think consumers are more prepared than we realize to accept higher > >> prices on food and I think that's part of our future," Lapp > >> predicted. "It's largely been set in stone for us already." > >> > >> "Set in stone" because the factors that have driven ag commodity > >> prices sharply higher since August of 2006 haven't changed. And > >> according to Lapp, who spoke Friday at USDA's Ag Outlook Forum, those > >> factors are manifold. > >> > >> "The risk of weather and a 5% increase in world coarse grain demand > >> and still strong global economic growth and [biofuels] mandates from > >> the government all suggest," Lapp said, "that the bonfire that we've > >> started is still going strong." > >> > >> All that, Lapp emphasized, makes robust U.S. crop production this > >> year critically important. He called the consequences of a potential > >> 10% cut in this year's corn crop due to drought "scary." And he said > >> it may be a number of years before technological advances that > >> improve yields boost crop production enough to generate surpluses in > >> the face of the strong demand factors he listed. > >> > >> "There's a lot of things in the pipeline - some of the new varieties > >> and their resistance to drought have really benefited the industry," > > > Lapp pointed out. "But it's going to take a while and the first thing > > > we have to do is attract more acreage into production and eventually > >> we can have those yields," he added. "And again, of course, we're > >> always vulnerable on a year-to-year basis from weather-caused yield > >> declines." > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Biofuel mailing list > >> Biofuel@sustainablelists.org > >> http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel > >> > >> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > >> http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > >> > >> Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 > >>messages): > >> http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ > >> > >> > >> > > > >_______________________________________________ > >Biofuel mailing list > >Biofuel@sustainablelists.org > >http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel > > > >Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > >http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > > >Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 > messages): > >http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ > > > _______________________________________________ > Biofuel mailing list > Biofuel@sustainablelists.org > http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 > messages): > http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ > _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
