04-01 Politics
Every nation is involved in the politics of agriculture. A nation like Canada may be protectionist on dairy, but a global exporter of wheat and pulse crops. Japan protects its rice producers, but imports cereals and beef. The photo of a travelling grocery story in Bulgaria helps appreciate the politics of agriculture. Here is a…
04-02 Food Imports
Massive reliance on imported food can be a product of affluence and the largest nations like the USA and China are also the largest importers. The real issue is the number of nations that just can’t feed themselves. One of six in the world rely on imported food. And this will be one in two…
04-03 Livestock
Livestock represents about 40% of all agricultural production. And the wide range of breeds of cows, pigs, sheep and chickens enables them to survive in every kind of climate. It was a hill of several thousand sheep all giving birth at the same time, and the flock actually shimmered. This was a two-week holiday in…
04-04 Agribusiness
Agribusiness is a world of agriculture that includes herbicides, pesticides, genetically modified seeds, and the latest in technology. But like everything else, it is changing. And, it is more than organic farming, but the warming climate and labor shortages linked to the pandemic. When we think of agribusiness, we think of large scale farming, with…
04-05 Urban Farming
Farming close to urban centres is being fueled by climate change. Agriculture that is driven by technology that is less reliant on fossil fuels. From vertical farming to container farming to rooftop farming to growing fish and vegetable together. It was during a visit to my grandparents in Belfast, 1947, that I witnessed every yard…