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Vegan (alt.food.vegan) This newsgroup exists to share ideas and issues of concern among vegans. We are always happy to share our recipes- perhaps especially with omnivores who are simply curious- or even better, accomodating a vegan guest for a meal! |
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Posted to uk.business.agriculture,alt.food.vegan,alt.animals.ethics.vegetarian,rec.food.veg,uk.environment.conservation,uk.rec.birdwatching,uk.rec.gardening,uk.current-events.bird-flu
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Eat less meat
"Old Codger" > wrote in message ...
> On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:58:31 -0000, "pearl" > > wrote: > > >"( _ /)" > wrote in message ... > >> On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 08:30:29 -0000, "Buddenbrooks" > > >> wrote: > > > >> >It will be interesting to see what the coming credit crunch driven downturn > >> >in the economy does to people's views as jobs disappear and people realize that > >> >keeping the worlds economy going and reducing emissions is not going to be > >> >easy. > >> > >> You are sort of missing the point. The global economy as we know it is > >> completely unsustainable, wasteful and destructive short cut to > >> destruction. The sooner we get rid of the idiocy of a material society > >> the better. > >> > >> Then of course everything else will fall in to place. > > > >'Enlightened Agriculture > > > >"Cautious, careful people, always casting about to maintain their reputation > >and social standing, never can bring about reform. Those who are really in > >earnest must be willing to be anything or nothing in the world's estimation." > >Susan B. Anthony > > > >'Crisis and opportunity in North American agriculture' John Ikerd > >Emeritus professor of agricultural economics at the University of > >Missouri > > > >[extracts only, as selected by nlpwessex - original article presented at > >a farm conference, "Recapturing Wealth on the Canadian Prairies," > >Brandon, Manitoba, October 26-27, 2000 - full copy available at > >http://www.cropchoice.com/leadstry.asp?recid=376 ] > > > > ......In essence, as agriculture moves from competitive capitalism to > >corporatism, it changes from a market economy to "central planned" > >economy. Central planning didn't work for the Communists, and it won't > >work for the corporations. The problem wasn't that the Communists > >weren't smart enough or that their computers weren't large enough. > >Central planning is a fundamentally wrong-headed approach to managing > >an economy - for corporations as well as governments. The corporate > >system of food production will prove to be fundamentally incapable of > >meeting the needs of the people. Its emergence as the dominant system, > >therefore, represents a prime opportunity for an alternative to corporate > >central planning, to create an agriculture that will truly meet the needs of > >the people of an enlightened society. > > > >As society becomes more enlightened, we are beginning to realize that > >we are destroying our natural environment in the process of trying to > >produce cheap food. We are mining the soil through erosion and > >depletion of its natural product in the process of maximizing production > >and minimizing dollar and cent costs of production. We are polluting > >our streams and groundwater with residues from the pesticides and > >commercial fertilizers necessary for large-scale, specialized industrial > >crop production and with wastes from giant confinement animal feeding > >factories. We are destroying the genetic diversity, both below and > >above the soil that is necessary to support nature's means of capturing > >and transforming solar energy into energy for human bodies. > > > >As society becomes more enlightened, we are beginning to realize that > >we are destroying the social fabric of society in the process of trying > >to make agriculture more efficient. We are destroying opportunities for > >people to lead productive, successful lives. We are turning thinking, > >innovative, creative farmers into tractor drivers and hog house janitors. > >There is dignity in all types of work, but all people should have > >opportunities to express their full human potential. Consolidation of > >decision making concentrates the opportunities among the privileged > >few while leaving the many without hope for a rewarding future. > >Industrial specialization also tends to separate people within families, > >within communities, and within nations. We are just beginning to > >realize that industrialization destroys the human relationships needed > >to support a civilized society. The outdated economics that supports > >agricultural industrialization is fundamentally incapable of dealing > >effectively with either the environmental or social challenges of today. > >In economics, the environment and society are external or outside of > >the decision making process - something that may impact or be > >impacted by decisions but not part of the process. In reality, the > >economy, environment, and society all are parts of the same inseparable > >whole. Society needs a more enlightened system of decision-making - > >one capable of integrating economic, ecological, and social decisions. > >We need a "new" approach to farming in North America..... (....) > > > >Pursuit of self-interests is an inherent aspect of being human. But, > >people, by nature, do not pursue only their narrow, individual or > >personal self-interest. It's also within the inherent nature of people to > >care about other people and to care of the earth. People are perfectly > >capable of rising above selfishness and greed to pursue a higher > >concept of self-interest - a self-interest that values relationships with > >other people and stewardship of the earth as important dimensions > >of one's self-interests. > > Seems on Usenet we have an unusual gathering of bigots then,as caring > and sharing is certainly a minority sport here. > > >This higher self-interest includes our narrow self-interest (personal, > >individual concerns), but it also includes interests that we share with > >others (relationship, community, and social concerns) and interests > >that are purely altruistic (ethics and moral concerns). All three > >contribute to our well being or quality of life. Each contributes to a > >higher sense of quality of life - explicitly recognizing that each of us > >individually is but a part of the whole of society, which in turn must > >conform to some higher order or code of natural law.... > > > >....Admittedly, the new American farm will require a lot more knowledge, > >understanding, and thinking than does farming by industrial methods. > >However, any future occupation offering an opportunity for a decent > >living will require people to use their minds. The days when someone > >could earn a good living by the sweat of their brow are in the past. > >There will be plenty of innovative, creative, hard working people to > >operate the new American farms, once the real possibility for a more > >desirable quality of life in farming - economically, socially, and ethically - > >becomes widely known.... > > > >....We, the people, currently control everything that needs to be changed > >in order to build a more sustainable, higher quality of life, as individuals > >as well as for society as a whole. The economy is a creation of people - > >it is not some sacred, unchangeable set of natural laws. People created > >the current economic system and people can change it. The corporation > >does not exist by some right or some decree from God. People created > >corporations and they exist at the discretion of people. Each corporation > >has a charter, which once obligated it to operate for the good of the public. > >We the people can revoke those charters, even if we have to amend the > >constitution to do it. We can control or abolish corporatism and we can > >shape our economy to meet the needs of people.... > > > >One by one, as we find the courage to demand something better, we will > >change the world for the better. Susan B. Anthony, the champion of > >voting rights for women in the US once said, "Cautious, careful people, > >always casting about to maintain their reputation and social standing, > >never can bring about reform. Those who are really in earnest must be > >willing to be anything or nothing in the world's estimation." It takes > >courage to bring about change. But Margaret Mead, an award winning > >cultural anthropologist, once said, "Never doubt that a small group of > >thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed it's the only > >thing that ever has." As each of us finds the courage to change our > >selves and to influence our little piece of the world, we can change the > >world. Indeed, this is the only thing that ever can. > > > >John Ikerd can be reached at [..] > >Full article at: http://www.cropchoice.com/leadstry.asp?recid=376 > > > >1999 University of Missouri Report to the US National Farmers Union, > >'CONSOLIDATION IN THE FOOD AND AGRICULTURE SYSTEM' > >- pdf format http://www.nfu.org/images/heffernan_1999.pdf > >[extract below] > > > >".....to understand the global food system, one must understand the > >operations of the major global firms such as Cargill, ADM, and ConAgra http://www.btinternet.com/~nlpwessex...ents/scats.htm . > >....Today > >the system is becoming much more complex starting with involvement in > >biotechnology, extending through production, and ending with highly > >processed food. Increasingly, these firms are developing a variety of > >different alliances with other players in the system..... We will use the > >concept 'cluster of firms' to represent these new economic arrangements. > > > >.....In a food chain cluster, the food product is passed along from stage > >to stage, but ownership never changes and neither does the location of > >the decision-making. Starting with the intellectual property rights that > >governments give to the biotechnology firms, the food product always > >remains the property of a firm or cluster of firms. The farmer becomes > >a grower, providing the labor and often some of the capital, but never > >owning the product as it moves through the food system and never > >making the major management decisions." > > > > 'CONSOLIDATION IN FOOD RETAILING AND DAIRY: > >Implications for Farmers and Consumers in a Global Food System', > >Report to National Farmers Union, Jan 2001, University of Missouri > >http://www.nfu.org/index.cfm?categor...e=issues&id=67 > > > >UK farmers being led to US-style GM slavery > >http://www.btinternet.com/~nlpwessex...dSainsbury.htm > > > >"Farmers will be given just enough to keep them interested in growing > >the crops, but no more. And GM companies and food processors, > >will say very clearly how they want the growers to grow the crops." > >Friedrich Vogel, head of BASF's crop protection business > >(Farmers Weekly 6 November 1998) > > > >Disease and pestilence hits Missouri as GM soy expands > >http://www.btinternet.com/~nlpwessex...risoybeans.htm > >.. > >http://www.btinternet.com/~nlpwessex...griculture.htm > > > > That can now be changed to 'Crisis and opportunity in global > agriculture' Indeed. |
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