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DomFortress
Joined: 13 Feb 2009
Posts: 751
Location: Richmond BC, Canada
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 Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 11:23 am
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| agr964 wrote: | | There are about 3 million rural farmers (mostly rice) in Japan. The government pays them to NOT farm significant parts of their land to keep commodity prices artificially high. The problem with this model is you have land available to produce food not being used for several years at a time. Also, the agriculture model in Japan of a farmer with a small plot of land is woefully inefficient for food production. |
Those are very interesting facts about the Japanese farming model. I'll bet that "keeping commodity prices artificially high" also includes property price among other things. So that farmers couldn't afford more lands even if they wanted to.
I'm getting this deja-vu vibe of a modernized Japan going back in the feudal era(Sengoku Jidai), when the farmers were being heavily taxed in order to sustain their waring nation. Only now the farmers are being sacrificed in order to incite the Japanese economy, which is now heavily depending on the artificially high domestic commodity prices, but not on exporting due to a low GNP.
| agr964 wrote: | | So, theoretically, Japan *could* feed their entire population if everyone switched to a diet of only rice...but I don't think people would be very happy (or healthy) with that situation |
I disagree. My family love to eat, and I personally know how Japanese culinary arts had just about perfected every possible technique on making rice more healthy and tasty than before. They had been very healthy just by going on a steady diet of fish and rice, but now it looks as if their own younger generations are growing more and more dependent on a less healthier diet of Western fast food just for novelty sake.
| babbo wrote: | | Even if they did focus more on agriculture they still have a tiny amount of arable land ( 11.64% of their land or appx 43,000 sq km ,appx 1/3 of a square meter per person; compare this to the US having appx 5 sq meters per person) that is increasingly being sold off to developers. Gotta wonder if they really could support their own food supply. I'd guess they'd still be importing a significant amount of food |
I believe that the Japanese people could feed themselves, if only that their farmers were allowed to "play the cards the way they wanted to", and not keep getting bad deals from their own government.
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GATSU
Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 15304
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 7:24 pm
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If we're not dumping, then why are we producing more crops than we can support with our current level of water? [We're in a drought right now, if you recall.]
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agr964
Joined: 31 Mar 2009
Posts: 19
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Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 10:43 pm
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| GATSU wrote: | | If we're not dumping, then why are we producing more crops than we can support with our current level of water? [We're in a drought right now, if you recall.] |
This has to be one of the silliest statements I've ever read. What does California's water situation have to do with food production requirements of the United States and the world? Just because California has a shortage of water, that doesn't mean people eat less, and does not support your hypothesis about "food dumping" at all.
With regards to the water situation, there are currently tens of thousands of acres of row crop fields laying fallow on the westside of the valley due to lack of water. This was prime Tomato/Garlic/Almond ground. In addition, there are farmers at risk of losing their Almond/Pistachio trees because of lack of water. These take years to even start producing, and to lose these while in production years is devastating, since they take between 4-6 YEARS to replant and grow to producing again. Can you imagine surviving that long with no income?
Don't complain about agriculture. Food has to come from somewhere, and that is right here in your back yard. Instead, complain about the water that should be producing food for you to eat going all the way from northern CA to LA so people can sit by their pools (avg 1/3 inch of water per day evaporation rate) and water their lawns (largest waste of residential-use water; assuming a 2,000 sq ft lawn, at .3 in/day ET rate (typ), this is roughly 50 cubic feet of water, or about 375 gallons needed PER DAY just to maintain soil moisture and keep the lawn green). Since there's a drought, cut that crap off, don't cripple the state's food production. Never mind that unemployment is pushing 20% in this area because of what's happening.
Yes this is off topic, but don't bite the hand that feeds you. And don't complain when food costs double or triple, because that day is coming. And at this rate it will be very soon.
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