🚀 go-pugleaf

On Wed, 06 Oct 2010 06:07:26 +1100, DonH wrote:

> # Odd.  I heard recently that Australia now imports a lot of its food;

I think the devil is in the detail. We usually grow a surplus of basic 
staples like rice, wheat, meat, etc, but the value of the exports of that 
is less than the value of the other stuff we import, which are basically 
the expensive condiments. stuff that is very labour intensive to grow, if 
we could/can figure out how to grow it here.


> possibly due to arable land on the urban fringe being covered by new
> domestic dwellings.

My 2c is that a lot of fresh greens can now be industrialised into sheds 
and hydroponic systems such that glutting is possible in some produce if 
every shed produces at peak.


>    If Murray-Darling goes, there are plans for the tropical North, or
> Tasmanian South, to become "the food bowl")

The Ord River already has salinity problems, plus it has MAJOr transport 
problems.

The Tasmania line is being pumped by people who want to build dams on the 
west coat and use the Midlands. Should be a total negative as they will 
loose a lot of tourism. Probably more $ than the extra agriculture income.

>    Human population increases geometrically; arable land arithmetically
> which is likely to win?

>  The Sahara once bloomed;

Climate change

> The Amazon Jungle is next candidate for desertification?

anthromorphological(?) Humans are doing that. Cut down the rain forest 
and raise beef. Joke is they rapidly find out how poor rain forest soils 
really are.