Join the Open Discussion

Posted on
April 25, 2012 by

The culturequest team believes that in order for humanity to move forward, we need to tackle the problem of providing the bare necessities for all those aboard planet Earth.  We would like to begin an open discussion endeavouring to solve this problem.  Hitting the top of our list is food and water.  To start reasonably and logically, there is some information needed:

  1. Population of the Earth
  2. Number of people going hungry
  3. Amount of food being produced
  4. Amount of food being wasted
  5. Location of hungry people
  6. Location of food wastage
  7. Location of food production

If you have access to any of this information, if you think that there are more variables to consider or if you have any valid input to share please join the discussion.  Together we can come to a greater understanding and possibly valid solutions to this problem.

12 responses to “Join the Open Discussion”

  1. Pro-G says:

    I have done some research into this subject after reading the post and found some of the required information:
    Population of the Earth – 7.009 billion.  This figure was calculated by the USCB(United States Census Bureau)
    Number of people going hungry – 925 million people are undernourished according to a search on "starvation" using Wikipedia
    Amount of food being wasted – 1.3 billion tonnes per year according to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)  I found this figure on foodnavigator.com.
    Location of people going hungry – UNWFP (United Nations World Food Program) has a "hunger map" indicating the location of undernourished people on the planet.
    Location of food wastage – This is complicated and I found my data in an article entitled "One third of global food production goes to waste: FAO"
    I found all this info online today the 25th of April, 2012.
    It seems that a large amount of food can be saved from waste in some of the heavily affected areas of undernourishment by an investment of food production infrastructure.  I think we should try to come up with a way to develop that food production infrastructure.  Also the amount of food being wasted by the consumer in the developed world is shocking and should be dealt with, but how to do this is the real question.  Any help?

  2. hal lilburn says:

    I hope you don't mind if I write a post about you guys on my blog.

  3. Chuen says:

    I suggest anyone to have a look at http://www.thrivemovement.com.
    Have a good travel..!
    Quinn from Zebra Bar

    • Peter & Shahla says:

      We've gone through the thrivemovement website and there is definitely some interesting material there.  However, even if we had the energy resources at our disposal with adequate funding we still need to have a plan for what to do with it.  We're thinking that education is needed in the developed world to teach people how to live without wasting so much but where to implement this?  In the schools?  The media?  And what about the infrastructure in the areas affected by undernourishment?  We'll bring forth one idea: improving the logistics.  We personally encountered huge problems with the distributing of goods.  And when dealing with perishable goods the logistics need to be efficient.  These are some ideas but we need to elaborate on them. 

      • Chuen says:

        If you google "planned obsolescence" you'll find out that a lot of goods are produced in a bad quality in order to keep the economy going…! Our economic system has to grow ad infinitum because of our money system (fiat money with interest). In Germany for example, from every Euro a family spends roughly one third goes to pay (hidden) interests.
        I agree with you, education is urgently needed in the developed world, but people are distracted or malinformed by the mainstrem media that are in the very few hands of very big organisations.
        To learn more about the prison we live in: http://www.forbes.com/sites/brendancoffey/2011/10/26/the-four-companies-that-control-the-147-companies-that-own-everything/
        Greetings from Chuen

  4. Peter & Shahla says:

    Thank you for the links to a better understanding of the system we are dealing with. We believe this information is pertinent to achieving viable solutions.
    While taking a break from cycling in West Africa, we noticed a truck pass us carrying fruit. Half an hour later, another truck carrying the same cargo passed us going in the opposite direction. Since then, we have learned that this is a worldwide logistical problem. Would it be possible to create a data-base of edible goods and where they are produced, and then use this data-base to improve the efficiency of the distribution? This could be used for when a supermarket is ordering the goods they will be selling; they would have to go through the data-base to arrange delivery. The data-base would then calculate the most efficient way of distribution, taking into account the location of production, the location of the supermarket and the amount of goods ordered. Tie together all the food stores on this data-base and no trucks would be making redundant journeys while food is going bad.

  5. Martin says:

    Guys, on the one hand I think you’re trying to fix the materialistic symptom of an issue which really only can be solved through the inner transformation of each and every one of us. It goes a lot deeper than distribution.

    One the other hand, here’s my response on a practical level:

    Check out our new website – http://thealternativenow.wordpress.com!!!!

    Creating a unified Alternative, freeing land, building communities, putting it all together on The Alternative Map of the World… Join us! Place yourselves on the map!

    Keep up the good work… cheerio
    Martin

    • Peter and Shahla says:

      Thank you for opening us up to the idea of the Alternative. It is very well written and we agree on many of the instances mentioned. One of the ideas was to deal with “what is, not with what could be”. This is exactly what we are trying to do with this discussion. We don´t believe it is right to wait for a complete system collapse or for everyone to feel the same way. People are going hungry now. We believe there must be a way to work with “what is”, in order to eradicate starvation and we encourage people to bring forth ideas. Working with the Alternative, how about a rainbow caravan into one of the areas affected with starvation, bringing with it much needed energy and other resources? Could it be funded by the Magic Hat?

  6. TERRANCE CARRIER says:

    Wow. I read the above info and it is a lot to absorb. As for Kerstin and I, we have made some changes in our life that we hope will help. Even though they are small changes. buying used vs new. local groceries when available. stop waste such as water electricity etc. I drive a motorcycle vs the v8 chev.

    What are other things the regular person can do to change the world for the better??

    • What you guys are doing is excellent and contributes to the movement towards a better world. We know that it’s not easy to try and keep up with all the issues that are important and that need to be addressed. One way is to get messages sent to your email from organizations like Avaaz or Greenpeace. These organizations will update you on issues they believe to be important enough to address and then you can choose to support or not support them. Then, you can bring up these subjects with your family and friends, increasing awareness and encouraging involvement in the world in which we all live. Also, you could get bicycles…Keep up the good work!

      • TERRANCE CARRIER says:

        ROFL I gave up the full size truck for a motorcycle, its gonna be a while before i can give up my baby. People have addictions you know!!!

  7. Christopher says:

    Hiya,
    I’m not done yet with the Chomsky book, but I think I get the idea. I still think that free trade is a good idea, but whether or not it is is a moot point, free trade can’t really exist when the big businesses have so much power. America does not have free trade, they pander terribly to big business.
    I can’t write more now, gotta run, but thanks for the book, I’m glad that my free trade fixation didn’t last too long. I’ll keep thinking about it as I ride, let you know what comes of it … I’m looking forward to the Open Veins book too.

    Sorry not to add anything meaningful to the discussion, next time I’ll have more time. Having a sharp knife is so awesome!!! Hope you’re not rained on too much.

    Christopher

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