- You can feed a man for a day or teach him to fish for a lifetime
- Anne Isabella Ritchie
Price of Tomatoes...
It is kept affordable in the Netherlands due to the intelligence of its people that seek to work with nature. Everyone knows the story of reclaiming land from the ocean in this low, sea laying nation. They are the inspiration for today's alternative energy in wind power. They made a fortune in flower power and now, it is showing us all how to survive food insecurity.
Although small in land mass, through determination, investment with trail and error, this little country is the second largest food exporter after the US by value.
Its greenhouses should be desired and copied the world over. They can grow tomatoes a foot in one week, (Wow!) and they use small amounts of water. (Double wow!). They employ LED lighting along with AI computers to manage the rows of crops. It regulates the temperature, water and lighting. No, robots do not rule. Humans cultivate and harvest. Granted, they use robot carts to transport loads and they have another AI program in the processing plants. It aids in soughting size, color and shape. Bottom line: Everyone can start to grow their own as the hippies once said. Congrats to you.
Meanwhile, the "RED" Deception
The Russian Communists as well as the Chinese Communists always point out and exaggerate their successes with little mention of their failures. When the Soviet Union was the shining example of Cummunism and started the Cold War with the US and West after WWII, they found a problem at the kitchen table. Food insecurity. Their dictating farm programs were failing, big time. The US was the only nation that grew enough to feed their problem. The Russians never thanked us nor either the Chinese Communists today with their economic miracle.
The sad truth is the US government under Republicans and Democrats used food as a political weapon in negotiating policies.
Case in point: In 1972, Russia had another terrible crop failure. They had been buying US wheat and corn for years. Our government kept the trade silent until the last minute to keep prices low. Yes, the Republicans deceived their "Red" state followers and farmers.
At the time, Russia purchased one-fourth of the US harvest. This led red state farmers to believe that the Cold War was ending. They expanded and took up debt to grow. When Russia invaded Afghanistan in 1979, President Carter ended selling food to the Soviet Union. This embargo would go on and off again in different administrations. This would not worry Russia. By that time global farms had recovered and they could buy whatever they needed from many sources. However, the repercussions of the embargo caused hardship to US farmers. Many family farms died. This led to the agricultural change. Industrial size farming. Family farming has suffered ever since until China began buying soybeans, wheat and corn as well as pork.
Communist Trojan Horse
Now, China has stopped buying US grain as a repercussion from tariffs.This not only hurts what is left of family farms, but even the giant, industrial conglomerates. China, like their fellow Russian Communists, dangle trade and then, use it as a political weapon. Brazil is benefitting from this political ploy, but when they expand and cut up the Amazon, a day of truth will emerge. China will want something that Brazil may not want to give and then, they will no longer buy from Brazil. They will try Peru, Argentina or Africa? Let us hope the world follows the Netherlands and the next time there is a crop failure in a Communists nation, tell them our door is closed. Our farmers may lose a large customer, but we over 300 million fellow Americans as customers. Forget greed and persevere. Pass on your farm to your family...Peace.
