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Decline of Species That Pollinate Poses a Threat to Global Food Supply

nytimes.com

11–20 of 65 posts

Re: Decline of Species That Pollinate Poses a Threat to Global Food Supply

#11
Is there where robotics can truly saves us, with honey bee micro-drones instead of autonomous vacuums and servants?

--UPDATE-- Thanks, Harvard! Now, new research on robotic honey is needed...

https://www.seas.harvard.edu/news/2013/05/robotic-insects-ma...

Re: Decline of Species That Pollinate Poses a Threat to Global Food Supply

#12
post #2

> The agricultural system, for which pollinators play a key role, creates millions of jobs worldwide. This sentence feels weird and misplaced. Compared with the agricultural system's main task – keeping us from starving to death – its role as a job provider seems utterly insignificant.

In this context, it's more a jobs thing, the basic foods which supply the calories which keep us from starving to death don't require pollinators, or at least bees. As I recall, going down the list, onions were the only one I'd really miss: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_crop_plants_pollinated...

Note also that in the US honeybees are an invasive/cultivated species brought over from Europe, their travails are akin to those of, say, the turkeys and chickens that have been suffering from/culled due to avian flu last year.

Re: Decline of Species That Pollinate Poses a Threat to Global Food Supply

#13
post #9

Once the availability of food declines people will decide to do something about it. The only question is is it then too late? Or is it to late for some and not others?

Things are always done at the last minute... We Humans as a group seam to only respond to people dying in huge numbers.

Just look at all other cases of man made disasters all were known to be around long before it happened and nothing was done to prevent them.

Re: Decline of Species That Pollinate Poses a Threat to Global Food Supply

#14
post #2

> The agricultural system, for which pollinators play a key role, creates millions of jobs worldwide. This sentence feels weird and misplaced. Compared with the agricultural system's main task – keeping us from starving to death – its role as a job provider seems utterly insignificant.

> Compared with the agricultural system's main task – keeping us from starving to death the agricultural system's main task is to make money & control others through the market. if it's main goal was to feed the world, we would have succeeded long ago. just look at all of the food thrown away (more than enough to feed those who don't have food) & subsidies to grow ethanol, instead of food. the best agricultural model…

The problem isn't supply. We have more than enough supply as you said. The problem is transportation. There just isn't a technology that's cheap and light enough to make shipping food to the food poor countries around the world profitable. If there was somebody would be doing it. Instead they rely on charity and subsistence farming

Re: Decline of Species That Pollinate Poses a Threat to Global Food Supply

#15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Compared with the agricultural system's main task – keeping us from starving to death the agricultural system's main task is to make money & control others through the market. if it's main goal was to feed the world, we would have succeeded long ago. just look at all of the food thrown away (more than enough to feed those who don't have food) & subsidies to grow ethanol, instead of food. the best agricultural model…

The problem isn't supply. We have more than enough supply as you said. The problem is transportation. There just isn't a technology that's cheap and light enough to make shipping food to the food poor countries around the world profitable. If there was somebody would be doing it. Instead they rely on charity and subsistence farming

Most of the "we must destroy this food" stuff happens to control the pricing of food. If it's getting too cheap, they need to restrict supply so they start destroying otherwise good food.

Re: Decline of Species That Pollinate Poses a Threat to Global Food Supply

#17
post #12
post #2

> The agricultural system, for which pollinators play a key role, creates millions of jobs worldwide. This sentence feels weird and misplaced. Compared with the agricultural system's main task – keeping us from starving to death – its role as a job provider seems utterly insignificant.

In this context, it's more a jobs thing, the basic foods which supply the calories which keep us from starving to death don't require pollinators, or at least bees. As I recall, going down the list, onions were the only one I'd really miss: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_crop_plants_pollinated... Note also that in the US honeybees are an invasive/cultivated species brought over from Europe, their travails are…

What? You don't think this is an issue because your McDonald's diet doesn't require fruits and vegetables? You need more than calories but also a thing called nutrients. That's your standard for a quality life? Well, I am not staving to death...

Re: Decline of Species That Pollinate Poses a Threat to Global Food Supply

#18
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem isn't supply. We have more than enough supply as you said. The problem is transportation. There just isn't a technology that's cheap and light enough to make shipping food to the food poor countries around the world profitable. If there was somebody would be doing it. Instead they rely on charity and subsistence farming

Most of the "we must destroy this food" stuff happens to control the pricing of food. If it's getting too cheap, they need to restrict supply so they start destroying otherwise good food.

Can you provide a citation? That's a strong claim, and I would like to read more about it.

Re: Decline of Species That Pollinate Poses a Threat to Global Food Supply

#19
post #18
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of the "we must destroy this food" stuff happens to control the pricing of food. If it's getting too cheap, they need to restrict supply so they start destroying otherwise good food.

Can you provide a citation? That's a strong claim, and I would like to read more about it.

Me too. And if that's true, why do we have to worry about the end of food because of bees?

Re: Decline of Species That Pollinate Poses a Threat to Global Food Supply

#20
post #18
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of the "we must destroy this food" stuff happens to control the pricing of food. If it's getting too cheap, they need to restrict supply so they start destroying otherwise good food.

Can you provide a citation? That's a strong claim, and I would like to read more about it.

Its common knowledge IMO, but you can certainly Google it. Agriculture is a near-perfect free market, so organizations and governments often destroy crops to raise prices.
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