Oh, but it's not a suggestion that we should go back and live on the farm, it will be the reality of the situation at some point in the post-peak world.  NYC is only sustainable in an energy-soaked world.  The very concept that any major urban environment is ultimately sustainable at anything approaching the levels we see today without the massive energy inputs we currently enjoy - well, good luck with that is all I can say.
If there is no food in the grocery stores, nobody will have to be forced out of the city into the country, they'll be headed that way quite on their own.  Where I'm sure they'll be greeted warmly by their country cousins.  Or not...

and there probably is no alternative.

If there is no food in the grocery stores, nobody will have to be forced out of the city into the country, they'll be headed that way quite on their own.  Where I'm sure they'll be greeted warmly by their country cousins.

You are quite right about the first part about what they will do without food on the shelves, but I'm not sure about the warm greetings... :)

I'm not a doomer though. I don't think it will be so dramatic as you see it. I see things happening a lot slower and more insidiously - slowly sapping our national economy and leading to a fall in the average standard of living. This is something very preventable with the right policies pursued at all levels of government and in the business sector.