Feed People, Not Factory Farms | by Peter Singer - Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org)

submitted 1 year ago by ginerel@kbin.social to c/news@beehaw.org

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Peter Singer points out that even with Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s grain exports, the world produces enough food for all.

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[-] interolivary@beehaw.org 19 points 1 year ago

Blinken is right to say that Russia is responsible for denying food to desperately needy people around the world, but let’s not pretend that other countries are powerless to prevent the food shortages brought about by Russia’s willingness to attack ships carrying Ukrainian wheat.

This is something you really don't hear often enough. We could already feed the entire planet, we just don't want to (I mean many people surely do, just not the ones who matter). Our problem isn't food or resource production, but allocation

[-] IHeartBadCode@kbin.social 9 points 1 year ago

Every time I hear someone say "the world is over populated" I always toss in "for the current economic system we are using."

Like the whole thing with AI. AI taking jobs isn't the problem, it's that jobs are pretty much the sole determining factor on who gets to eat and who doesn't with our current system.

[-] marco@beehaw.org 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Archer-Daniels Midland, Bunge, Cargill and Dreyfus – also known by the acronym ABCD – control 70-90% of the world’s grain trade

See https://www.oxfam.org/en/research/cereal-secrets-worlds-largest-grain-traders-and-global-agriculture

[-] interolivary@beehaw.org 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Financialization seems to me to be the key issue, also in a general sense.

Everything has been turned from serving its original purpose to serving capitalist interests - ie. making more money for an extremely small upper class. Who cares if millions of people starve or don't have potable water as long as there's a profit to be made from turning food into a financial instrument - nevermind that the system no longer actually does what it claims to do, ie "efficiently allocate resources."

[-] Chetzemoka@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago

has been turned

You say as if it weren't always like that. Because it definitely has always been like that from the dawn of civilization, sadly.

These corporate instruments are quite efficient. Unfortunately you and I just happen to disagree with the rich and powerful about what we should be efficient at doing

[-] alottachairs@beehaw.org 12 points 1 year ago

Its almost like, if a lot of people stopped eating meat, we wouldnt have this problem. too bad.

[-] pizza-bagel@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago

Or even less meat. Most countries do not eat the giant portions of meat or meat for every meal like the US does. Plus it's way cheaper

[-] zephyreks@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago

Or even just less beef tbh. Beef is literally the most inefficient meat on the planet and it's not even close.

[-] argv_minus_one@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

Too bad it's also by far the tastiest. Synthetic meat can't come soon enough.

[-] style99@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

No word on how anybody would ship all that food to places like Kenya.

[-] interolivary@beehaw.org 17 points 1 year ago

If only we had some sort of ocean-going transports available to do this "shipping" with

[-] nan@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 year ago

I hear Elon’s got a submarine that might work.

[-] interolivary@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

Probably already on the phone with Putin trying to work out his own grain deal, using a Hyperloop tunnel from Ukraine to North Africa

this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2023

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