FEEDING THE WORLD.

The author has just been watching a TV programme on agriculture; Jimmy's Global Harvest. Jimmy Doherty in Australia on this occasion. Due to all kinds of problems, mainly the liberal usage of a limited supply of water; salt rising to the surface because of the removal of Acacia trees in the past; fooling grape vines into thinking there is a drought, as lack of water is limiting wine production, and concentrating on the natural presence of goats, an indigenous inhabitant, as distinct from the imposed Merino sheep, the call for whose fleece has diminished considerably.

The impressive conclusion regarding this programme, is the fact that the Aussies are doing everything to combat our fickle weather. They are reintroducing Acacia trees along with Sandalwood, which leeches onto the host Acacia. In addition, in South Australia, one farmer has developed a system of the reconstitution of poor quality clay earth by introducing natural constituents.

A major aspect is that only around 15% of the earth's surface is producing food for a rapidly increasing world population. Taking the UK as an example, we are forever stealing more of our excellent farm land (greenbelt) in order to house more and more people, many of them imported, to what end we know not. This absorbs flood plain in many cases, creating tight necked funnels to our rivers, making it difficult for the water to escape to the sea, causing the inevitable floods.



WHEN WILL WE LEARN?