Again I agree water is extremely important and when the country has a coast line desalination plants powered by solar energy could provide a partial solution.
Further research into drought resistant food crops and animal feed will I feel sure have a very important role to play in addressing the problem of the lack of water.
I agree. I said the same in post 51
I can’t see exporting food to Africa or any anywhere further than Europe as a practical solution. Surely we should be producing the green beans and flowers here for our own consumption and letting Kenya supply the African countries. Something is seriously skewed in the global consumer markets. We are also supposed to be cutting down on our carbon footprints and fewer flights would help that too.
I don’t really see that much can be changed until the global corporations are prepared to look at the issues themselves and effect some real change. Until then it can only be piecemeal tinkering round the edges. Imo. What will it take? For some environmental crisis to affect the world maybe?
Yes I agree partially but until people in Western countries either accept vegetables in season or in some cases frozen Veg the trade will exist. Cutting down food wastage would help tremendously in reducing the imported volume. Other items peaches oranges etc. need a warmer climate. The need to import flowers is, to my mind, totally unnecessary. What I find particularly abhorrent is importing food from countries who have famine in parts of their own country.
I know I thought it worth repeating it got lost along the way somehow and was important IMO
I’m not sure we need to do that much can be grown in polytunnels and we can already grow exotics that way.
It would take a supreme mind shift within the food industry to say no more imports of unseasonal goods and they would all have to sing from the same hymn sheet! One thing though…I suppose the prices for all the food stuffs would go up and the consumer wouldn’t be happy about that…even the ones that can afford the imported French Beans!!
How could we get it to work? Only for people to go back to eating in traditional and regional ways using local produce.
They could still have their curries but might have to give up on the exotics! And every country would have to be doing the same…nice thought but I can’t see it without a crisis!
Definitely worth repeating!
isn’t it difficult for it to eat its grain in there?
still taking alcohol in abundant supplies then MKJ?
why do you take everything personally MKJ - no one is winding you up, we are all just contributing - psychoses comes in many forms of disbelief???
ooerr ooeerr touchy touchy - have a few vodkas and calm yaself down!
Ok go and sit with mark in the naughty corner:shock:
I think there are some simple but deadly priniciples not being stated here:
People are beneath the surface greedy and don’t like sharing
We bluntly refuse to allow our own lifestyles to be affected
There is a suggested plot to keep the poor countries poor whilst pretending to help them but really stealing their resources [ I’ll dig out the reference when I have more time]
The vast majority of us are not prepared to walk the extra mile
contributors to this thread are probably all comfortably clothed and fed so can sit and comment from their cosy armchairs without starving
Poor people don’t want to stay in their own countries - witness the continued swell of immigrants moving both in Europe and Asia - they want what we’ve got and they want to come and share it with us in our countries.
OK this is not the original article I have a hard copy of somewhere but it’s close enough and in fact just type in “global bank and IMF robbing Africa” and you’ll get plenty there is another good book on the market written by an African doctor [Phd] who outlines why giving monetary aid to Africa doesn’t work and actually makes it worse
http://www.tesfanews.net/how-the-world-bank-and-the-imf-destroy-africa/
lol
I am now OK as regards clothing and my house and food.
I believe I help other people as much as I can and will always go that extra mile, when the person or cause seems viable.
Hopefully, I am not seen as greedy.
As for the rest, I shall think on it
Ok here’s the Zambian doctor and her viewshttp://vorige.nrc.nl/international/article2172883.ece/Stop_giving_aid_to_Africa._Its_just_not_working
Well if we are talking about base instincts then I will fight for my ‘stuff’ and repel boarders. Sod the rest of the world as long as I can get a full belly and keep warm. So there you go, the reason there is so much ‘wrong’ done: we are just ruthless savages underneath it all.
That was really interesting, so if we phase it out and I am for that as it has never worked IMO then what happens ? the rich get poorer ? or the poor die ? she isn’t clear in her article which is most likely to happen.
I think you need to read her book?
No not buying a book if it can’t be explained clearly in the thread I don’t mind reading a linked article but I have no intention of spending money to find out what anyone is trying to discuss.
It’s not a new view and written in 2009 it is already somewhat out of date given the huge Chinese presence and volume of Chinese businesses now functioning in some African countries and the subsequent impact on the people, their infrastructure and their environment.
In the end it will be like every other place. Those that have an abundance of natural resources wanted by the world will have the opportunity to get richer if their governments act in an honest way. Those that don’t have the resources will struggle along at the bottom of the heap.
There are now many schemes that offer chances to small businesses in Africa to develop on the back of people in developed countries being prepared to offer loans without interest. It has also been found in small communities that women can grow business and finance while the men seem to lack the same acumen. These offer better opportunities for self help and eventual self sufficiency than the aid that never reaches the people it is designed to help.
