Well Intentioned Catastrophe

Today and every day this week we are looking at some aspect of food security and the major shifts that are putting enormous strain on our global food supply. We are already experiencing acute shortages all over the world.

On Monday’s show we talked about how dietary preferences have increased the demand for grain on a global basis as more and more people shift from plant based diets to consuming more animal protein.

On Tuesday’s show we talk about how more and more farm land is being diverted from food production to growing for bio-fuels like Ethanol and biodiesel.

On Wednesday’s show we talked about how energy markets are effecting the supply of fertilizer and how fertilizer use is down 5% so far this year which is expected to have an immediate 2% decrease in food yields.

On Thursday’s show we talked about at what happens when there are food shortages. We start to see the rise of food nationalism.

On today’s show we are looking what happens when you shift your food production from using synthetic fertilizer to organic. We are looking specifically at Sri Lanka and the major impact it had on their national economy.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the idea of organic farming. I personally buy organically grown fruits and vegetables whenever I can.

The shift started in Spring of 2021 when Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa put a ban on agrochemicals. His goal was an ambitious one: to transform Sri Lanka into the first nation with 100-percent organic agriculture. Less than a year later, the country is left in an economic and supply shortage crisis as a result.

----------------

Host: Victor Menasce