Category: Uncategorized

“Europe would still be able to feed its growing population even if it switched entirely to environmentally friendly approaches such as organic farming, according to a new report from a thinktank.

“A week after research revealed a steep decline in global insect populations that has been linked to the use of pesticides, the study from European thinktank IDDRI claims such chemicals can be phased out and greenhouse gas emissions radically reduced in Europe through agroecological farming, while still producing enough nutritious food for an increasing population.

“Agroecology takes into account natural ecosystems and uses local knowledge to plant crops that increase the sustainability of the farming system as a whole. The IDDRI study, entitled ‘Ten Years for Agroecology,’ used modelling to examine the reduction in yields that would result from a transition to such an approach.

“Reductions, the authors argue, could be mitigated by eliminating food-feed competition – reorienting diets towards plant-based proteins and pasture-fed livestock, and away from grain-fed white meat. More than half the EU’s cereals and oilseed crops are fed to animals. The study models a future in which European meat production has been cut by 40%, with the greatest reductions in grain-fed pork and poultry.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/20/european-farms-could-grow-green-and-still-be-able-to-feed-population?fbclid=IwAR3SxHPImQdjxzCJihKDDDIMcnCmLw_TNT67BthsRLuwMzvy9Zeziuqsyzo

“But in recent years, as water availability has become less of a sure thing, growers have increasingly relied on groundwater, or water pumped from underground aquifers, to keep their farms alive. During a historic drought that lasted through 2016, Valley farmers drilled over 5,000 wells, going thousands of feet deep to reach thousand-year-old aquifers before their neighbors did—a kind of groundwater arms race…

“Overdrafted aquifers cause all kinds of problems, like water contamination, high energy costs, and in some cases, no drinking water in rural communities. When enough water is sucked out, that can create an actual drop in elevation, known as land subsidence. Heavily drained areas sink by tens of feet and, as a result, water infrastructure cracks and leaks…

“But conservation and new water supplies would cover only about a quarter of the imbalance. To make up the rest, farmers would have to cut pumping by 2.5 million acre-feet per year, effectively turning off 16 percent of the amount of water they’re using today. That shortage would drive up the price of water, and the only way to cope with that, says Hanak, the Institute’s water policy director, would be to fallow no less than 535,000 farmland acres by 2040.”

https://newfoodeconomy.org/california-san-joaquin-valley-farmland-groundwater-aquifer-drought/?utm_source=New+Food+Economy+Subscribers&utm_campaign=42a3105f88-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_02_28_10_11&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_75a28a0eaf-42a3105f88-511577341

“The staging area near the starting gate was filled with more dogs than people as mushers prepared their gear and hooked up their dogs before the races…

“’At the first checkpoint it’s important that we put down straw and lay them down, and give them a rest,’ she said. The mushers also get a chance to warm up and get something to eat at each of the four checkpoints on the 250-mile trail. The course heads southeast from Fort Kent to Portage, then west into the North Woods before turning north again in the wilderness up through Allagash and back to Fort Kent.”

“A rigorous body of research now demonstrates that organic agriculture provides evidence-based solutions to California’s pressing economic, environmental, and social challenges. This report synthesizes the documented impacts of organic food and agriculture that were pre-viously spread across government data, peer-reviewed studies, and other scientific literature. It finds that the organic sector contributes the following benefits to California and beyond…

“Creates opportunities for California farmers and food manufacturers because growth in organic food sales outpaces all other food sales in the United States…

“Stimulates local economies through local food sales.

“Reduces poverty rates and raises median household incomes.

“Mitigates climate change through practices that sequester carbon, lower energy usage, and reduce emissions…”

“France-based yogurt seller Danone has been trying since June to sell Earthbound Farms, a 47,000-acre organic vegetable and lettuce farm in California, according to a source.

“Earthbound went from generating $70 million in Ebitda a few years ago to having negative Ebitda now, the source said. ‘It is losing money and getting little interest,’ a source close to the JPMorgan-run auction said.

WhiteWave Foods in 2013 paid $600 million for Earthbound, and then Danone in 2017 bought WhiteWave for $12.5 billion.”

“Investors avidly embraced the business concept: gleaming industrial kitchens in cities nationwide where chefs created thousands of gourmet meals to be whisked directly to customers’ doors…

“That was the vision for San Francisco’s Munchery, which abruptly closed last week after raising — and apparently eating up — more than $125 million in venture capital. Munchery, once thought to be worth as much as $300 million, was the latest and biggest on-demand food company to fail. Another industry titan, San Francisco’s Sprig, closed in May 2017 after burning through some $57 million. Other failed tech companies that tried to both prepare and deliver food include Maple, Spoonrocket, Bento and Pronto…

“Did Munchery ever eke out any kind of per-meal profit? The chef laughed.

“‘The numbers just weren’t there; there wasn’t enough margin to make it work,’ he said. “To be honest, it was a house of cards.'”