A New Stragedy to Feed the World

Enter Stage Right ^ | 12/19 2011 | Dennis T. Avery

[count-your-change]

"Can we successfully grow more plants per acre as a future strategy for increasing our crop yields and food production? Sixty thousand corn plants per acre -- twice Iowa's current average -- could be one route to higher productivity. The world will need twice as much food in 2050, and we'll need to triple the crop yields on the best land. Doubling would be a very good start."

[count-your-change]

How many people can the earth feed? As this article shows it may be far more than anyone thinks but not necessarily by following the traditional methods and ideas.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Modestly upping the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide would help a lot.

[sinanju]

Last time someone claimed that his country could treble it’s agricultural production twenty to thirty million people starved.

I think his name had three letters and started with an “M”.

[Slump Tester]

If they're going to double their production, it'll take more seeds and fertilizer. How can we expect the poor farmers to pay for this extra cost?

Quick, give them more subsidies! (We'll have to pay them more to let the land lay fallow as well.)

[mamelukesabre]

who the hell cares? This is not going to be a problem in north america where we make more food than we need and do not have a population problem.

[himno hero]

Why should America worry about the third worlders when Islam can provide the solutions to their problems?

[mamelukesabre]

btw, your link is crap.

here’s a good one.

http://www.enterstageright.com/archive/articles/1211/1211stratfeedworld.htm

[AndrewB]

Stragedy....really?

[Persevero]

I have read/heard that we manufacture enough food already to feed everyone well.

The problem is in distribution, preservation, and corruption, particularly waste and the nefarious use of food/scarcity for political ends.

[liberty or death]

“Here's a better link would suffice”. I am so sick of FR members who are just plain condescending and rude.

[count-your-change]

I know, I know....STRATEGY. Thanks

[bigheadfred]

Everybody needs to invest in commodity futures.

Their stalks are skyrocketing.

[mamelukesabre]

I bet you already know what I’m sick of.

[count-your-change]

Agricultural exports help to pay for the tires on your car and the aluminum cans your soda and beer comes in and a thousand other things you use.

So who does care?

[count-your-change]

That seems to be working already. Increased CO2 seems to help plants cope with increased heat and drought as well as feed them.

[count-your-change]

Since WW2 by what percentage has agricultural productivity increased here in the U.S.?

[mamelukesabre]

not me

I pay for my own tires and aluminum cans.

[saintgermaine]

Stop subsidizing Ethanol, drill for oil and use our plentiful supply of coal. Forgot that we have to content with the dumb EPA, can’t even take a breath without exhaling CO2.

[count-your-change]

Exports pay for those things, yours and mine. Basic economics. Otherwise it’s borrowed money.

[count-your-change]

Probably true, there’s a tremendous amount of waste. Pests, spoilage, dumping of surplus.