Cakadu, I would love to see one powerful voice representing all ag producers - it happens in some countries/areas - seemingly not in Western Canada though. Is the tough, individualistic cowboy image too much engrained in the people?
How much do we need all this land anyway? I know that the world population is increasing at a great rate and that ag landbase is shrinking but in reality in todays world residents and governments of wealthy countries allow those without to starve. If we can do it now why should it be any different if there are x million more starving Africans? I sometimes think we are unworthy inhabitants of the earth.
The fruit /veg year round topic is interesting. You say the food can always be bought at a price - I would argue at a price that wealthy consumers have never been more able to pay. The problem is consumers, all of us,are looking only at the cash price of things not their real cost. We all cop out when it comes to our responsibility to assess the sustainability of our every day lives. Environmental impacts aren't considered - the fact it takes more calories of energy to airfreight that lettuce from China that the food contains. Look at the goods in your local Fields store, Dollar store etc all made in Bangladesh or China with virtual slave labour yet Canadians are happy to shop at these stores because they are cheap and a good deal.
I watched one of these charity programs last Sunday featuring tea pickers in Sri Lanka - the conditions they lived in were appalling, long hours, virtual slavery for life and that tea finishes up here through Tetley or Brooke Bond. We are all responsible for this with our buying decisions. We have a lot in common as farmers with these disadvantaged people in the third world - all producing raw product to be taken advantage of by the Corporations that rule the world. We are lucky that we are so well off, as Canadian farmers, compared to many in the 3rd world but the market forces that affect them also affect us.
Ideally the model of "free trade coffee" could extend to all products and to all countries but I guess that isn't human nature - greed is.
How much do we need all this land anyway? I know that the world population is increasing at a great rate and that ag landbase is shrinking but in reality in todays world residents and governments of wealthy countries allow those without to starve. If we can do it now why should it be any different if there are x million more starving Africans? I sometimes think we are unworthy inhabitants of the earth.
The fruit /veg year round topic is interesting. You say the food can always be bought at a price - I would argue at a price that wealthy consumers have never been more able to pay. The problem is consumers, all of us,are looking only at the cash price of things not their real cost. We all cop out when it comes to our responsibility to assess the sustainability of our every day lives. Environmental impacts aren't considered - the fact it takes more calories of energy to airfreight that lettuce from China that the food contains. Look at the goods in your local Fields store, Dollar store etc all made in Bangladesh or China with virtual slave labour yet Canadians are happy to shop at these stores because they are cheap and a good deal.
I watched one of these charity programs last Sunday featuring tea pickers in Sri Lanka - the conditions they lived in were appalling, long hours, virtual slavery for life and that tea finishes up here through Tetley or Brooke Bond. We are all responsible for this with our buying decisions. We have a lot in common as farmers with these disadvantaged people in the third world - all producing raw product to be taken advantage of by the Corporations that rule the world. We are lucky that we are so well off, as Canadian farmers, compared to many in the 3rd world but the market forces that affect them also affect us.
Ideally the model of "free trade coffee" could extend to all products and to all countries but I guess that isn't human nature - greed is.
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