Between book plugging and job hunting I’ve had little time to absorb information this week.\u00a0 However,\u00a0 a few things stood out.\u00a0 I’m tempted to say the mouse that shot out of the kindling I used to light the wood-burner a few minutes ago and that I’ve set the humane trap to catch…\u00a0 Or the record renewable energy figures from the 3rd quarter in the UK (but I will do a detailed blog on these in 2013).\u00a0 Or the fact that Climate change has not been mentioned in the US Presidential debates at all, but how much oil can be ripped out the ground has (boy are they in for a shock).<\/p>\n
No the stand out thing this week has to be “land grabbing”, which was my TEARFUND prayer item on Wednesday.\u00a0 This is the horrible practise of large companies or even sovereign wealth funds i.e. countries such as Saudi Arabia, buying (acquiring would be a better word) vast quantities of land in developing countries for food security reasons.\u00a0 In actions analogous to the clearances in Scotland and enclosure acts in England indigenous people who have no formal means of proving ownership are kicked off.\u00a0 The land is switched to high intensity monoculture with all the environmental problems that entails.\u00a0 The food is then shipped back to the mother country.\u00a0 There is one interesting point about all this, some countries recognise food security as a issue, which many in rich Western countries don’t.<\/p>\n
This idea is not going to work.\u00a0 Firstly, as oil prices and therefore food prices rise the owners will have to protect their food by force against a rising population around their land.\u00a0 Second, as fuel prices rise the practicalities of shipping food long distances will not add up and we will have to grow much more food close to home.\u00a0 In the meanwhile is a grave injustice.\u00a0 Oxfam have a petition, see our Facebook page for details.<\/p>\n
If you have read our book -we’d love to know what you think about it.\u00a0 Please write a review and post to the website of the company you bought it from and like us on Facebook.\u00a0 Ta.\u00a0 Have a good weekend.<\/p>\n
Neil<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Between book plugging and job hunting I’ve had little time to absorb information this week.\u00a0 However,\u00a0 a few things stood out.\u00a0 I’m tempted to say the mouse that shot out of the kindling I used to light the wood-burner a … Continue reading