Is the Earth really only 3 catastrophes away from total chaos in our food supply chain? Scientists are warning that the world is just three weather-related catastrophes away from global food supply chaos. A study by Britain’s Anglia Ruskin University, commissioned by Lloyd’s of London, vividly points out the fragility of the food supply and how faith in the food security of America could be entirely misplaced.
Preppers already know the value of shelf stable, long-term food storage, as well as the importance of growing and raising your own food. Sadly, the majority of mainstream America simply goes on assuming that grocery store shelves will remain full until the end of time. If you are tending a robust garden, have a pasture full of livestock and have stocked up on the great-tasting and affordable long-term food storage offered by eFoodsDirect (alright, shameless promotion for the company there, but the food is good and doesn’t have a hefty price tag) it’s all good, right? Not really.
When you and yours have enough to eat but others do not, the infamous marauding hordes all preppers are warned about may eventually swarm into your garden, barn and home and take every last morsel of food you have budgeted for (and developed calluses growing/raising) over many years. Growing your heirloom seeds in true Secret Garden of Survival fashion will help prevent others from noticing a huge plot of dinner ingredients being cultivated on your land.
Family first is of course always the best policy, but attempting to inform others about food security and preparedness in general is also important, even when you feel like you are hitting your head against a brick wall sometimes. I always approach prepping from an education perspective and view living a self-reliant lifestyle as a form of insurance. I don’t panic about an EMP hitting tomorrow because our tribe (my favorite phrase for mutual assistance group) is stocked up on necessary items and always practices the skills we need to survive any disaster we are likely to face.
Anyway, back to what I originally mentioned. The Lloyd’s of London study was based upon a hypothetical scenario in which the earth was hit by 3 disasters: a heat wave in South America, a “wind-borne plant pathogen,” and a “strong warm phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation cycle” all at the same time. The results were quite ugly, and the domino effect caused by such a scenario put not just Americans but also folks around the world in dire straits.
The back-to-back disasters in the Lloyd’s study would lead to massive drops in food production on a global scale, according to statistics generated by the disaster experts involved with the report. A 10 percent drop in corn production, an 11 percent decrease in soybean yields, and a 7 percent loss in wheat and rice harvests were noted in the findings.
The anticipated food shortages would of course prompt economic distress as well. The report predicted that the cost of rice could increase by as much as 500 percent. Civil unrest and food riots would develop quickly, even in rural areas. Once upon a time nearly everyone fortunate enough to live in the nearly crime-free and beautiful rural regions of the United States grew at least a backyard garden and canned food annually. That is just not the case anymore. When city people flee their metropolitan abodes in search of food, the closest picturesque countryside village or town will be their destination. Why? Because it will be safe in such a place, and they will think that everyone in the country grows their own food.
Rural folks will suddenly be faced with hundreds, if not thousands, of uninvited visitors, which will but further strain on natural resources such as wild game, fish and water. When people, even good people, are starving and worse yet, see their children starving, taking what does not belong to them will suddenly not seem like such an unthinkable act.
The Lloyd’s study also stated that it is a “precarious moment in the world’s food supply.” The Food and Agriculture Organization estimated that worldwide food production must double from 2009 levels by 2050 just to keep up with projected demand based on the current population; disaster scenarios were not factored into that startling little statistic.
Excerpt from the food security report:
Foodmageddon concerns noted in the report prompted Lloyd’s report (also lead researchers) to predict “death and privation” for millions of people.
“A severe shock could motivate individuals and businesses to address gaps in their risk management. As such, global food supply shock could also represent a substantial opportunity for insurers,” the report said.
The same group of experts that created the disaster model used in the report also developed a model to detect dangers based on global consumption habits that found that the entire fossil fuel economy could collapse by 2040 if changes to consumption habits are not initiated very quickly.
The report also addressed long-term pressures facing the worldwide food supply:
