Farmers Sound the Alarm for Our Global Food Supply as Staple Crop Becomes Increasingly Difficult to Grow
Posted by Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit | collapse | View on Reddit | 99 comments
All around the world, the overheating of our planet means that farmers are struggling to grow crops that have long thrived in their regions. Among those crops is the humble potato, which is becoming significantly more difficult to grow in the United States' largest potato chip-producing state of Pennsylvania, Marketplace reported. Potatoes need cool nights in order to grow, and during much of the year in Pennsylvania, those nights are becoming few and far between.
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit (OP)
These wild temperature changes and the increasing variability of rainfall will continue to make crop growing harder as time goes on. As the earth warms and plants grow less and less don’t be surprised when we have global breadbasket failures and failures from other crops. It will be a hot, dry, and starving world. And people are not ready for it, nor will we ever be ready. Hell is coming, are you ready?
IAm_Trogdor_AMA@reddit
But AI and technology will solve all the problems! Any day now...year... decade? Aww crap were screwed.
Deguilded@reddit
ChatGPT: Just install airconditioning in the potato fields!
Alarming_Award5575@reddit
Dude. Brawno.
Kiss_of_Cultural@reddit
It’s what plants crave.
Butt_Chug_Brother@reddit
To be fair, we're already screwed. Pumping all that extra AI waste might be worth it if we can make something that does autonomous physics and engineering research a thousand times faster than all the world's scientists combined.
IAm_Trogdor_AMA@reddit
We really are at that point in time where we need a hail Mary throw at this problem
asmodeuskraemer@reddit
Hear me out: aliens
Sun_Praising@reddit
That's literally The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu
oldflakeygamer@reddit
...not the worst plan I've heard. I'm onboard.
asmodeuskraemer@reddit
mooky1977@reddit
Hasta la vista, tae-taes!
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit (OP)
Yep
ashvy@reddit
When the yields start dwindling, would the potatoes be supplied to the general public or to the megacorpos?
Colosseros@reddit
Potato shortages brought to you by $15 French fries at McDonald's.
Honestly, if it becomes too expensive to be a staple, it's going to become a luxury ingredient for items that simply cannot be made without potato starches or something. Whole potatoes will become a fine dining experience. That sorta thing.
Problem is, potatoes are a fairly nutrient rich food. So the the overall problem is none of those vitamins or minerals going out to the hoi polio, regularly, as a relatively cheap staple. And other crops that fill a starch role, even if their production remains consistent(they won't), will increase in price as demand for those go up.
So, generalized malnutrition that slowly gets worse as the potatoes go away. More food insecurity. More people on public assistance to not starve. Payments on those needing to increase to keep pace with spiraling prices. Eventually it all breaks. And we go from malnutrition to starvation.
I won't give extreme detail of what starvation looks like. Like hardcore famine conditions. But, it happened enough throughout ancient history that you can look up first hand accounts of basically everyone starving in every direction. Suffice to say, t doesn't sound fun.
sg92i@reddit
It will boil down to: Who can pay the most? Whoever has the cash, would get the potatoes. Just like the potato famine in Ireland. Sufficient food, but if the locals can't afford it they'll die. It will go to who can.
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit (OP)
We’ll just have to find out, but I wouldn’t be shocked first the megacorps get stuff first
thecarbonkid@reddit
Mega orps get the potato, proles get the skin of the potato! And thus a just outcome was reached.
itsasnowconemachine@reddit
But also a wet world sometimes/someplaces .. a waterworld?
4BigData@reddit
meanwhile volunteer potato plants are growing in my garden in November
hiholuna@reddit
Yeah I recently had potatoes and a ton of cilantro sprout. Also I’m pretty sure most of my zinnia self seed germinated…
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit (OP)
These temp changes are throwing many things outta balance imo
jake-j2021@reddit
We had lilacs start to re-bloom in September. The plants are so confused.
5Dprairiedog@reddit
Same thing happened to me too! The lilac tree lost all of its leaves very early too (maybe in July?). Now it's got some green leaves growing still.
4BigData@reddit
for sure, we just got double the average November rain in just two days
NotATrueRedHead@reddit
Same! I have a huge one in my compost
ImportantMode7542@reddit
It’s November in Scotland and I still have strawberries growing. I doubt they’ll ripen now but I ate the last ripe one end of October.
SunnySummerFarm@reddit
My radishes I put in to overwinter bolted. Those potatoes might never make potatoes. :/
Z3r0sama2017@reddit
Just a quick reminder to y'all, you can buy and easily store a 40kg bag of rice for about £40. Don't be afraid to buy a couple. It will be enough to get you through the initial craziness while everyone else is getting themselves killed fighting over whatever is left in the supermarket.
IM_NOT_BALD_YET@reddit
Honestly, I don't know if I want to be one of the last ones standing. Lol. I've got my fair share of beans, bullets, and bandaids set aside but I'm increasingly less motivated to survive violent nonsense in a starving world just to die of heat exhaustion or thirst on a March morning in the not too distant future.
nausteus@reddit
Way ahead of you. I have a list of things I can't/won't survive without or I would already be living in the woods.
TvFloatzel@reddit
The thing is ....."when" though.
CaptainBirdEnjoyer@reddit
And sometimes if some certain fungal spores get into the rice and you allow that fungus to harden the rice and you mix that with some dirt you may enjoy what that produces so you can at least take a mental vacation or ten during the trying times.
MycoMutant@reddit
I would add however that rice is very susceptible to pest contamination. Pantry moth larvae (but not adults) can chew through plastic bags. When I had an infestation of them I once found the larvae in a sealed bag of microwave rice still crawling around after microwaving it. The cheap 1kg bags of dry white rice I get from Sainsburys have little holes in the bag so easily become contaminated with booklice. The more expensive bags are thicker and prevent them but I don't think they'd stand up to pantry moths.
I decant rice into 2 litre plastic lemonade bottles to store it. That should also render them waterproof in the event of flooding too.
TheAlrightyGina@reddit
Yeah I use 5 gallon pails with gamma lock lids for this reason. Those pantry moths aren't fucking around and you gotta go at them hard to get rid of them.
...but in a starvation scenario it'd just be a bit of extra protein in your rice. Long as you ain't squeamish.
MycoMutant@reddit
The booklice don't bother me much and do pretty minimal damage but with the pantry moths your calories are actively flying away. I was killing probably 50 a day during the peak but I did manage to save most of the food by sticking it in airtight tubs and just waiting them out. Lesson learned: do not keep bird seed in the kitchen.
TheAlrightyGina@reddit
Fair enough. I've only actually gotten them from contamination of the rice itself, so they were sealed in the bag for the most part so I killed them by putting the rice in the freezer. There were a few escapees though so I dealt with a few here and there till I moved to the pail/gamma seal bucket, putting what I use on the reg in smaller sealed containers on my counters so I'm not constantly opening them. It's the only thing that fully stopped them from finding enough food to make babies.
MycoMutant@reddit
I had a bag of bird seed on top of the fridge. First I noticed of the infestation was large white caterpillars crawling all over the ceiling. By the time I saw that they'd already spread everywhere. I think it's common source of infestation as I once saw an entire pallet of bird feed in a gardening/hardware store spewing out thousands of moths.
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit (OP)
The sad thing is 3rd world countries will suffer first
Big_Brilliant_3343@reddit
*are suffering first. I would argue that they have been the past years, but its really gonna be mass grave territory soon.
Venus by... uhh what day is it?
Modssuckdong@reddit
Plants thrive in warmer temps, and we have irrigation. I grow a huge garden every year and this year was one of the best.
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit (OP)
Yep, but if certain temps remain high for too long certain crops will begin to fail
Modssuckdong@reddit
In specific areas, yes. I'm more worried about pesticides than global warming. But I don't live near a beach like Bill Gates, Jeff Besos, Elon Musk, Obama, or any other rich person who espoused warming. I don't use plastic. I drive a hybrid, and I grow my own weed, fruit, and veggies. I suggest everyone do the same.
rokdukakis@reddit
Wow what a great and helpful suggestion considering the majority of people on the planet live in cities without access to their own land. /s
Modssuckdong@reddit
There is plenty of land for sale for cheap. People just don't want to learn how to be self-sufficient. Might be just a yert and a woodstove on a half acre at first. Hard times are coming.
Mikerk@reddit
"plants" don't always thrive in warmer temps. There are many cool weather crops that do not like heat. As the article states potatoes like cool nights. The whole cabbage family(broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, etc), lettuce, spinach, beets(refined sugar). Onions will literally just melt if they get scorched by heat. Pests also thrive in warmer weather.
It's not a matter of just adding water either. Nitrogen production is one of the most intensive uses of energy and our farming practices are reliant on it. 1 lb of nitrogen takes like 25000 BTUs to produce. 1/3 of all energy on crop production is spent on fertilizer production.
Modssuckdong@reddit
Yea, I grow all that stuff. I grow them in shade to avoid the 110 days here. Regenerative agriculture would fix that nitrogen problem. I only buy fertilizer for my weed plants. The rest i use my own compost. Having a self-reliant population would fix the shortages problem.
jcheroske@reddit
Haha, you break it you bought it!
breinbanaan@reddit
WE NEED A RESISTANT AND RESILIENT FOOD SUPPLY. We need more food forests
sillygoosejames@reddit
And we need those systems to be post capitalist. The economic system will become unlivable. We need to collectivize our resources.
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit (OP)
Yep
SyndrFox@reddit
[I was reminded of this comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/collapse/comments/17985kz/comment/k55ocsr/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) when I was scrolling through this thread. I think now is a good time for myself to finally start stockpiling lmao.
SyndrFox@reddit
[I was reminded of this comment I saw a while back] https://www.reddit.com/r/collapse/comments/17985kz/comment/k55ocsr/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
The_Weekend_Baker@reddit
And pretty much every poll shows farmers supporting Trump, so they're voting for it to get even worse.
Not much different in the EU.
shryke12@reddit
I live in a farming area and own a farm. If Democrats only ran on climate change and universal healthcare they would sweep farmer votes. Unfortunately, Democrats are doing crap like being ok with chemical sex change therapy for kids and https://www.npr.org/2024/07/16/nx-s1-5041437/california-bans-school-rules-requiring-parents-notification-of-childs-pronoun-change. Stuff like that destroys any convincing I can do out here. They are not voting for Trump due to stance on climate change. We all talk about it. It's obvious to all of us.
collapse-ModTeam@reddit
Hi, shryke12. Thanks for contributing. However, your comment was removed from /r/collapse for:
Please refer to our subreddit rules for more information.
You can message the mods if you feel this was in error, please include a link to the comment or post in question.
Whatevenhappenshere@reddit
So you see an article about students not being safe enough with their family to come out as trans or gay, and schools wanting to protect them from forcefully being outed, and think: “They’re chemically sex changing the goshdarn kids!” Instead of reading it as a sad fact that your country is so far into fascistic propaganda they use the same scare tactics as certain pre-WWII politicians. And you fell for it. Sex change isn’t even discussed in your article, at all.
But hey, anything to keep you from seeing the actual issues! Climate change isn’t half as bad as some made up scenario about trans kids!
What a wildly insane comment.
shryke12@reddit
Your comment is insane and why Dems just got destroyed in this election. Schools intentionally hiding things from parents about their children.
I didn't vote for Trump. I am telling why Dems lost.
Whatevenhappenshere@reddit
My guy, if you read your own article you would see that schools: 1. Don’t think they’re the ones to tell parents their kid uses different pronouns, or tells someone they’re gay unless said kid approves. This keeps children safe. Just look at conversion camps, or the increase of domestic abuse for gay and trans kids. 2. Don’t have anything to do with HRT, obviously.
Please fuck off with your weird-ass takes based on propaganda to keep you busy with meaningless subjects while the world continues to burn.
SunnySummerFarm@reddit
Conventional farmers are relying on trucks and tractors and a lot of BS to grow. And many are worried.
And many still listen to freaking Glen Beck while they till a field or harvest. Only so much we can do.
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit (OP)
Strange, but the earth has other plans
ExoticMeatDealer@reddit
Wait, it’s not supposed to be 75 in November?
hannahbananaballs2@reddit
Oh good
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit (OP)
Yeah not good
hannahbananaballs2@reddit
.. bad even..
zzupdown@reddit
We're gonna starve, but at least we owned the "libs", right?
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit (OP)
Our fate is sealed
Valgor@reddit
Given the majority of crops grown are fed to animals so that we can then eat the animal, we would probably do okay if we converted to a plant-based diet since we would have dramatically more land to grow food and therefore count for wild fluctuations.
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit (OP)
We’ll probably be “forced” to go more plant based as crop yields become more unreliable
JerkyNips@reddit
That explains why I couldn’t grow shit for potatoes this year
TrickyProfit1369@reddit
next year i will try out sweet potatoes and beefy grex beans (more resistant to drought and heat)
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit (OP)
The dryness and heat is killer
yaosio@reddit
Reminder that we won't suddenly run out of food. Food will get more expensive, countries will ban exports of food, and poor people will starve first.
The US will probably not ban exports because crapitalism. However, the cost of living is rather high in the US so I don't expect high prices elsewhere to result in higher food exports. This doesn't mean prices won't rise, just that the food will still be here in the US taunting the hungry masses.
Bandits101@reddit
Think of food as oil wells and coal mines. Agriculture is irrevocably tied to energy production, transportation and fertilizer. Both industries need high enough prices to maintain operations. EG gold mines shut down when prices are too low.
Dairy farmers will pour milk down the drain if it costs more to produce and transport than returns require. Staple foods may have a small stockpile but an economic hit (even droughts and Covid) can suddenly affect supply.
Our food supply is on a knifes edge of complexity that few give credit. It can collapse suddenly and it probably will at some stage.
Producers and manufacturers worry about prices too low, consumers worry about prices too high, there is a delicate balance. Overall worry about low prices, they’re the base of the food chain.
Ok_Impression5805@reddit
Humanity needs to be finding or engineering an edible crop adapted for hot dry conditions like, yesterday.
We need replacements for corn and rice, or at least variants that can survive non-holocene conditions
MycoMutant@reddit
I think tiger nuts, Cyperus esculentus have potential. Much higher calorific value per dry kg than rice or corn and yield estimates are very high. Does well with high temperatures and seems somewhat flood and drought tolerant. Dries and stores easily and can be ground into flour. It definitely would become invasive with widespread cultivation though and harvesting them is a bit awkward.
Mo_Dice@reddit
Kinda depends on what you mean by this. If you mean: "something like potatoes in terms of habit & nutrition" - well, sweet potatoes are more or less that.
If you mean: "a grain-type crop" - pearl millet is a 'small grain' that can be eaten somewhat like rice, and I know it can be milled into a flour.
I think amaranth is similar in terms of heat tolerance, 'small food' likeness, and ability to be milled.
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit (OP)
Yeah but personally I don’t think humanity will do that fast enough imo
JuWoolfie@reddit
I give it 2-5 years before we start seeing wide spread food shortages due to crop failures
My family owns farm land in central Alberta and we haven’t had a decent crop in the past 5 years, with the past 2 years seeing 90% failure
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit (OP)
👀
BadUncleBernie@reddit
At this point, I would not be surprised if a dinosaur ran through my yard.
Adventurous_Chard738@reddit
Lol
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit (OP)
Lol
TheseJudge6563@reddit
Got any chickens? lol Raawr!
Temporary_Second3290@reddit
I'm used to a bit of a rainy autumn but I can't remember the last time it rained here.
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit (OP)
It hasn’t rained where I live in a month
Temporary_Second3290@reddit
Probably that long or longer.
IM_NOT_BALD_YET@reddit
I'm sure the general population will believe the farmers, just like they understood the scientists and took action...
lehs@reddit
What shall we glue us onto?
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit (OP)
They’ll find out when we have breadbasket failures
SunnySummerFarm@reddit
Nope. They’ll just complain about supply shortages.
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit (OP)
Some will but I think some will wake up, but certainly not all of them will still
IM_NOT_BALD_YET@reddit
You have more faith than I do. I think that the people who don't believe it or don't understand it are just...the way that they are. They're not going to budge. Those same people are resisting vaccines, fluoride, higher education, fresh produce, public transit, etc. They're convinced that they know best already and what they know tells them that someone else is at fault for any blip of inconvenience through malicious intent. They'll blame the scientists and the farmers and the Chinese government and "the gays" and on and on until it's over.
SunnySummerFarm@reddit
We’re having areas with milk issues because of avian flu in cows… and people persist in drinking untested raw milk, and the CDC only recently started testing pasteurized milk consistently.
Some is probably a small percentage because while folks hate the government, few people actually look out for themselves when the government over looks real threats.
SunnySummerFarm@reddit
I have also been banging my pots about this here for a while and I just get pat on the head and told the US grows plenty of food for Americans and we don’t need to worry. :/
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit (OP)
I wish we had rain where I live it’s been so dry
StreicherG@reddit
It’s November where I am and my beehives are bringing in pollen. It’s scary because they should be asleep at this point, and what plants are blooming in Ohio in the month of November?
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit (OP)
It hasn’t rained where I live in a while it usually rains so frequently
StatementBot@reddit
The following submission statement was provided by /u/Ok_Mechanic_6561:
These wild temperature changes and the increasing variability of rainfall will continue to make crop growing harder as time goes on. As the earth warms and plants grow less and less don’t be surprised when we have global breadbasket failures and failures from other crops. It will be a hot, dry, and starving world. And people are not ready for it, nor will we ever be ready. Hell is coming, are you ready?
Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/collapse/comments/1gk70vm/farmers_sound_the_alarm_for_our_global_food/lvirqyq/