Health Sciences 3290A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Systran, Lieu-Dit
4 Nov 2016
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Document Summary
Food systems and community gardening nov. 2/2016. Food prices are highly volatile: huge price changes (up and down) from 2008-2011 in certain kinds of food products, but - global food supply remained stable, suggests prices not determined by ability to produce food at global level. 1/3 of food is wasted before it is consumed. In global north, mostly at consumer end (in stores and fridges) In global south, on farms (inefficient storage and processing facilities) Not all food grown on our planet is being used as food: 40% of corn grown in us is turned into biofuels (e. g. ethanol). Concentration of control: very small number of corporations control most of the world"s food trade, four companies produce more than 58% of the world"s seeds. Agricultural policies matter: example: in early 1970s, us started subsidizing maize farmers (paying farmers to produce grain, result: overproduction, 1995-2012: maize subsidies - billion.
