Improve the planet as much as you want
February 15, 2023 – Twenty years ago global hunger was the result of a shortage of justice, ethics and will. Today additional causes are climate change, war, and supply chain wobbles triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Climate change decreases land and water. The increased heat turns arable land to deserts and methods to counteract that have created other problems. Add greenhouse gas emissions, and crops of wheat and corn decrease.
On the other hand, flooding transforms affected land owners into climate refugees, facing poverty and malnutrition.
War prevents farmers from planting and exporting crops. For instance, since Russia and Ukraine are at war, less of their wheat is reaching the rest of the world. Because the U.S. and its allies are sanctioning Russia, its fertilizer and wheat are distributed to fewer countries. Since Russia bombs Ukrainian farming structures and blocks Ukrainian ports, even more wheat never arrives at other countries. With less supply to meet the demand, food prices have risen.
In our country some effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been decreased the agricultural workforce, closed storage facilities, and farmers forced to dump crops since there aren’t enough truck drivers to get them to the distributors on time. Also, some former customers lost their jobs when the workplace closed, so now they lack the funds to buy food.
So-called modern farming methods only successful have fed the hungry for a short term. One-crop farms have depleted the soil, made some crops resistant to pesticides and overused groundwater, thus setting farmers up for crop losses and plagues. Genetically modified crops have become dependent on customized pesticides. Ironically, most of these single-focus crops are fed, not to humans, but to commercially farmed animals in cramped areas that add to global warming.
Since less water is required for fruits and vegetables than commercially farmed animals, a solution to food hunger is to not eat animals. Another is to vary the fruits and vegetables one eats to not be dependent on just a couple. Reading Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet provides directions.
Those of us with yards can grow our own fruits and vegetables. Those of us without, can participate in a nearby community garden or patronize farmers markets. A few like the 61st Street Market move indoors for the winter months and provide fewer opportunities for customers to view their wares.
Some of the urban farms in our area provide training. Urban Growers Collective, which received a grant to provide free grocery sacks of fruits and vegetables throughout the city last year, just closed applications for its teen training , but has extended those for adult internships (www.urbangrowerscollective.org/internships/ ) through March 1, 2023. Its South Chicago farm is in our area.
However, watching the free Joyful Gardener docuseries (www.growyourownvegetables.org/joyful-garden-docuseries/?oprid=52011&ref=13188) from February 21-28, 2023, and downloading its notebook will provide all kinds of information.
What kind of action, however small, are you willing to do to improve the planet and feed the hungry?