As I mentioned in a previous post, more and more urban dwellers are growing their own produce. As fuel prices rise, inflation sets in, and corn becomes scarce, starting and expanding a home garden becomes more than just a fun past-time; it offers an opportunity for food security. Here’s how Pamela Price of Texas describes her garden:
We already know about the myriad of problems around the world caused by drought, water delivery restrictions and inadequate access to clean water. And we’ve already heard the argument that global warming is to blame for such water shortages. A report recently released by the advocacy group Transparency International provides another reason for the global water crisis: corruption.
In a press release issued by the global coalition against corruption, Chair Huguette Labelle was quoted, “Water is a resource without substitute. It is paramount to our health, our food security, our energy future and our ecosystem. But corruption plagues water management and use in all these areas.”
The organization’s report which was published last month, entitled Global Corruption Report 2008: Corruption in the Water Sector, argues that corruption plagues all segments of the water sectors, from water resources management to drinking water services, irrigation and hydropower. The report’s analysis of corruption in 35 countries from different world regions cites examples, such as bribery in water delivery and procurement-related looting of irrigation and hydropower funds, and focuses on the gravity of the situation and urgent need for reform.
Maybe we really have reached our limits. David Korten, author, lecturer, and founder of Yes magazine, believes we have. He believes that climate change, peak oil, and the meltdown of the U.S. dollar are all symptoms of the impending fall of our modern, globalized way of life. And he has a point. The stock market is crashing, gas and food prices are skyrocketing, and our economy is faltering. Of course, if you are an optimist, you might say, well, we will survive, as we have before. Except for one thing: what will we eat?
When I take stock, I realize I can do without most of the things I buy. Yesterday I bought gas, printer cartridges, and mad libs for my daughter. Food was the only necessity I spent money on. But if David Korten is onto something, access to most of that food is in danger.
Consider: by most estimates, 98% of the food consumed by Americans comes from the industrial food system.
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