I heard it from a very reliable source that food sources for developing countries as well as under-developed countries would be gone by 2010-2015. The imagine the shock of my life when I heard it on BBC. I need not send you any links because just searching "food shortage" on Google or Yahoo and they will give you so many links to news articles - its practically global.
Then to hear local news last night saying some developer wanted to infrastructure projects in Palawan and Batangas... do we need infrastructure while we go hungry and depend on imports for our food source? I'm not saying infrastructure development should be banned but arable land should be retained primarily for food production ergo - farming.
Reading and listening to all the news about food shortage, rice crisis and now on a global scale - food shortage is caused by over population, a lack of arable land, wasteful eating habits, a lack of manpower to farm, a lack of incentives as well to farm. Just like in the Bible when Joseph told the Pharaoh to stock during the 7 years of plenty to cover the 7 years of famine - can the Filipino do the same thing while there's still time? I remember hearing it on BBC while the World Food Program people were being interviewed - "there will come a time when most exporting countries will no longer export food products like wheat, corn and rice due to shortages in their own country".
With the Philippines' population shooting up and out of control, arable land reducing by 25% every year due to residential and commercial developments, farmers getting screwed out of farms and profit from produce, wholesalers and retailers hoarding, global warming, el niño and la niña distruptiing our harvest seasons - I would like to see a total shift in priorities in this country. Can the government be Pharaoh and listen to Joseph? Can we delay infrastructure developments by 50% and use arable lands to plant, harvest and stock? Can we be self-sufficient enough to feed our own country? Can we put a hold on the growing population and tell the Church to keep quiet about their protests over population control for once? Can we divert profit to those who actually break their backs planting to give them incentives not to stop farming? Can this government support, finance, and cuddle food projects instead of telecoms, infrastructure, commercial and residential projects that won't feed the people in the long term analysis? I'm not saying stop it, but delay it and use the land first - there is so much arable land in this country no one wants to farm and develop as farm lands simply because there's no profit in it anymore. We have IRRI, we taught Vietnam and Thailand to plant fast yielding rice - how come we can't teach our own farmers to do the same thing?
As a mother - I worry like anything over the future of my children who are still in elementary. If we adults are already having a hard time surviving with everything that's affecting us domestically and globally - what about these kids? What kind of future will they have? In the micro level of society - we still may not be feeling the pinch of food shortage. But globally, its already being felt and as part of the global nation - we should do something about it now before the famine years get here. I just hope that I am not the only one who is seeing this and I also hope and pray someone in the government spearheads this in earnest like it was needed yesterday.... Unfortunately, I just can't think of anyone who can.
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