Food & Farming

Increasing soil productivity to maximise food production

In most regions, finding food is as simple as driving to your local grocery store. However, this is NOT the case for many countries. Sure you may hear about famine in African countries, you may even donate to various charities such as World Vision as we do, but did you know before long famine will be at your doorstep? That includes nations such as the USA, Canada, Australia and more - the entire planet.

If that sounds far-fetched, think again. You may have noticed farmers are struggling to make ends meet. You may have also noticed fruit and vegetables are becoming more expensive. Food supplies are actually dramatically reducing . . . Why? Drought, and it's spreading. Ultimately this is because, once again, we are cutting down too many trees. In fact in many regions, soil that was once fertile has become desert.

I'll explain part of what happens when you cut down trees: Countless life-forms die for reasons ranging from having their home destroyed to insufficient food supply. The soil does not receive nutrients that keep it fertile (primarily from fallen leaves etc). Atmospheric gasses receive insufficient processing, which means less oxygen for us and all life, more carbon dioxide, global warming, more dought . . . and that all means less trees, reduced soil fertility - the process repeats. One thing affects the other, and the outcome is disastrous. But most of us don't see this when we look at a piece of paper or furniture.

Next time you see those tree-hugging hippies on TV, you'll know what they're on about.

Problems with food supply:

• Cutting down of trees and destruction of the environment is degrading soil quality. This in turn reduces productivity of soil, plus the amount and quality of food. Many deserts are growing.

• Droughts are becoming more widespread, which means less water for agriculture, and an overall reduction in food supplies.

• As food supplies become more scarce, we'll end up paying more for basic fruit and vegetables than we do for barrels of oil. Oil is NOT a necessity - it powers our vehicles and energy needs, but it does NOT sustain life. Food and water is far more valuable, and this will be reflected in prices we pay in the future if soil productivity is not maintained and increased. While we don't need to grow our own food (at our homes), we should reduce our dependence on external supplies. This will both solve many of the problems of supply reduction, and will give us a greater appreciation of the value of food - something that starving nations already know too well.

What we are doing about it:

Provided Earth's soil retains its fertility and productivity, we as a species should not run into any trouble. But the problem is as trees are being cut down, and the ultimate effect of this is that soil loses its fertility - it becomes as useless for growing crops as sand.

The one most important solution is to stop cutting down trees, and start re-planting them as quickly as possible. Some countries are already doing this with remarkable results - portions of what were previous deserts are becoming fertile land for food production. But very importantly, this must be done globally, because less trees means less water, and less water means less trees. So if we don't take immediate action, the damage will snowball to an unmanageable level, resulting in famine literally of global proportions. It is not an exaggeration. The deterioration of the environment is not just happening quickly, the actual rate of deterioration is increasing.

For further details on action we are taking, and how you can help, please see the bottom of the Environment page. Something as incredibly simple as planting more trees and integrating development with nature can solve so many of our problems.