The Oil Drum

142 comments on DrumBeat: October 26, 2006

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tstreet on October 26, 2006 - 11:05am

A disruptive event is when I profit; a disaster is when I starve or pay much higher prices for my food. So called disruptive technology that threatens our ability to have food at reasonable prices and contributes to world wide deficits in grain production is a bit more threatening than, say, the invention of the microchip. They talk about "some sectors being hurt" but they don't talk about the most important sector, the ultimate consumer. They have a very narrow and scary view of the world.

Our agricultural, industrial system needs a disruptive event, but it is not the intersection between agriculture and energy. We already have said intersection with respect to all the massive inputs of energy to keep said system going. Energy saved is energy earned. I think it would be much more productive and good for the land if we rediscovered ways to use less energy in our agriculture rather than turn our agriculture into energy.

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NC on October 26, 2006 - 11:16am

I disagree with your premise.

Historically (more than 150 years ago) almost everything of value came off of land. As recently as the early 1900's many products were made from plants. Pigments, paints, fibers, insulators, structural material, and on and on. Furniture, dwellings, fabric are all made from plants even today. Farmers grow more than just food and always have. The problem is that oil has forced farmers to grow almost exclusively food because oil products substitute for everything they used to grow. And I haven't even started on the animal products that are used for non food uses. Oil makes many of these pure waste products, rather than the added value products of my Grandfathers day.

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airdale on October 26, 2006 - 3:01pm

NC,,,it was termed Food and Fiber. Older books by the USDA spoke of it that way. Food and Fiber.

I remember well the sheep we used to shear on the farm. The geese for feathers. Hemp needs to make a comeback.

I think if this country survives the meltdown then it has to come back else we won't have anymore plastic clothes.

I always did prefer cotton and wool. Let the wimmen go back to the ironing board and forget 'permament press'. Obligatory smiley and several LOL's so I don't get lambasted. Only kidding wimmen, only kidding!

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TrueKaiser on October 26, 2006 - 7:14pm

there were less people back then too.. billions less.
reduce the population enough and we can once again do the same but of course the required die-off is not what you want if you want to go back to that.

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