Shouldn’t ‘State of the World’ Consider Food?
JULY 15, 2007 - For the first time in world history, more than half the global population will live in cities as of 2008, a recent United Nations report stated. And, while "mega-cities" get most of the attention, the worst troubles will occur in smaller cities in the developing world as they have fewer resources and weaker infrastructure, the "State of the World Population 2007" warned.
While I can't fault the report for focussing on housing and employment issues, feeding this urban population was hardly addressed. The UN report noted that it was important that urban agriculture be legalin the developing world (it boggles the mind that it potentially isn't!), and pats Zimbabwe on the back for making this move. While I believe that the first world owes a debt to the impoverished nations - because most of them suffered either through colonial policies or the imbalances of capitalism that puts two cars in most North American driveways - I don't know that we have any right to apply our "clever" solutions to their problems. We should just write them a cheque and run. For we have failed ourselves miserably in food self-sufficiency and urban agriculure.
The report notes that by 2030, 81 percent of urban people will live in the developing world; in other words, that's where the population growth is. But it's the First World that is the space hog. As an example, the population of France has increased by 50 percent between 1969 and 1999, but the cities have increased in physical size by 500 percent. Most large European cities are on built on prime farmland, eating it up as they expand. So where's the food supposed to come from? The answer of the global economy is, "Somewhere else!" There is not an unlimited supply of this somewhere else; it is shrinking fast. The population of California - which industrial agriculture has made the farming region relied on by much of North America - is expected to nearly double by 2050. Do you think that every new suburban yard will contain a micro-farm complete with goat and chickens? It's possible - if we put away our know-it-all attitude and look to the Third World for solutions.-ADS
