Rising Food Prices

As you know, my one reader, I have been going on about peak oil and rising food prices, amongst other things, for months now. I wasn't particularly unperturbed to note this monday's Wall Street Journal. One would expect it to come out with the normal guff about free trade in agriculture and how some sort of mythical Ricardian global market would deliver food for everyone, rather than Malawi-style disasters everywhere.

However, columnists in the Wall Street Journal, that well know mixture of left wing panic and survivalism, are now recommending that readers start stockpiling food.

I agree. Dig your garden, plant potatoes, carrots, strawberries, rhubarb--all those things working men used to have rather than patios. Don't tell me you have no time. My grandfather used to work a full shift at the steelworks and then came home to the garden like half the others who weren't out on the taxis.

My other, beloved, Grandad from Donegal used to tap out his life on the side of a leather chair and then wearily turn the TV off before heading off to bed of a night. He'd sigh, and say that people should never forget the farmers, which presumably reminded him of how hard things had been when he was a boy. He was right though. Thank goodness we didn't listen to consultant driven rubbish about the common agricultural policy.

We should start campaigning for governments, housing associations and local councils to make allotments part of any and all new housing estates, and encourage self-reliance. Allotments should be available on a long-term and price-protected basis, and if local councils say they would rather use the land to raise borrowing or money from builders, they should be told to cut costs instead.

Time for some cincinnatus references, I think. Dust off the Romans, ladies and gentlemen, we need some important sounding references to make a shovel full of manure sweeter sounding. I am of course an urban lad, and just about know the difference between a shovel and a hammer, let alone a spade. So urban agrarianism would be a learning experience too, and we would all end up with the right sort of hoes in the backyard.

Stop tutting. How else would I have got a reference to the excellent Chief Brian Miller of Indiana into my blog?

Of course, if nothing disastrous happens, rather like energy conservation, such a minor sort of urban agrarianism would still have a good side. Food security is the first responsibility of civil society, along with shelter. Food security policies that also promote self reliance and patience are absolutely good for society, in a way supermarket convenience isn't, though I like my global products.

The oil is running out and things are changing. You did not read it here first.