I’ve been trying to think of a better reason than simply ‘it would give me a sense of satisfaction’ to explain why I want to grow my own food. I think Caroline Lucas, a Green Party MEP writing on The Guardian’s Comment is Free site may have come up with the answer I was looking for.
Already, world oil and gas production is declining at an average of 4 to 6% annually, while demand is growing at 2 to 3%. The last time more oil was discovered than used in a single year was a quarter of a century ago… The fact of dwindling finite fossil fuel reserves is simply non-negotiable – and the implications of it are enormous.
So what are those implications of a shrinking global oil supply? Well, apart from bringing on higher petrol prices, which could impact on the cost of our food, it will also affect the other food-related products of which oil is a key component: pesticides, packaging and so on. In short, the whole of our food chain is entirely dependent on sustained availability of oil at current levels and – more worryingly – at current prices.
Her predictions make for uncomfortable reading, and her conclusion – that the UK will likely suffer worse food shortages than we have seen since the Second World War – makes me more convinced than ever that small-scale home farming is a responsibility, not a luxury.
The full column can be found here.
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