Theos-Talk Archives (June 1998 Message tt00334)

This subject is very close to my heart, and I have collected data and
studied various aspects for years.  So, I am going to write at some
length taking up some points.  It may turn out quite long, so a warning
to those uninterested to 'wipe out.'"

> Date: Fri, 12 Jun 1998 03:56:16 -0500
> From: "M K Ramadoss" <ramadoss@eden.com>
> Subject: Re: Future Vegetarians

"May be that's how the world hunger is going to be solved.	 Mkr"  --
(Genetic engineering.)

MEAT PRODUCTION.  Take Argentina one of the big meat production and
marketing countries.  To a lesser extent this applies to other countries
in varying degrees.  Their ranchos cover astronomical acres  of land
where steers are raised for the market.  A steer takes about 2-2½ years
to be ready for slaughter, during that time it grazes acres of
grasslands-each grazed and having to recover over these seasons.  During
which time the same acres, or a large number of selected acres, could
have been growing grains and other cereals and other more perishable
crops; one, two or three crops a year. The latter  store reasonably
well, as against the cost of meat preservation. The costs of
transshipment is involved for both, as they would be more than needed
for the country of production, but grains/cereals are cheaper.  While
the meat from a full grown steer might feed about 12-15 largish families
for a week or ten days, the food grown as grains and cereals could feed
much vaster numbers for great periods of time.  The use we put the
world's land to in the production of food is very wasteful, and mostly
guided by  market and profitability-I am not denying the need for these
to play their part, but they often have too over powering a
consideration.  This but one example, others are available.  Just apply
this to the acres under tea, coffee, vines for the production of
alcoholic beverages, (not food to some extent luxuries!) and you can get
a better picture.

ROTTING FOOD.  So many vegetables and fruit are allowed to rot,  when
the labour of picking and transportation is in excess of its
marketability!

MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES.  Do control extensive land of food production
areas the world over.  They advance loans, and tell the farmers what to
grow, providing seed (hybrid and possibly now genetically engineered);
and fertilizers (very often from their own owned factories) and then
they process and packages this output.  This comes to the towns and
cities into supermarkets-yes, all this is on the increase in so-called
third world countries also.

Take what has happened in Bangalore in the last year.  We too now have
big indigenous and foreign owned companies, buying our vegetables for
tinning, and making into dried soups, very often for export. While the
brands processed and packaged in supermarket increase day by day. More
tourism with the concomitant expensive hotels and high price
restaurants-where one meal for four, would feed a whole family (4/5) for
nearly a month.  The price of our vegetables have risen 50% in the last
3 months.  The poor man and the middle class on their earnings find this
too dear.  Malnutrition cannot help but follow.

FARMERS the world over are already or are becoming the prey of the
middle man-who makes exorbitant profits, and the processor who can
collects the raw material and sells at VALUE ADDED prices.  Farmers are
at the lowest level of this food-chain, and they still grow and grow and
remain poor.  While all those who do not and cannot produce their own
food needs also find themselves suffering and contributing indirectly to
the world wide shortages.

FAMINE, DRAUGHT,  CATASTROPHES and WARS  place vast numbers of people at
starvation levels and they died.  Then very charitably, those who
directly and indirectly contributed to these very causes, give AID,
counting themselves generous and humanitarian!

FEED THE  HUNGRY-not the way things are going.

Enough for now.  Excuse my saying so much, which does not seem directly
to be theosophy.  And yet it is theosophy that should be applied in
daily life, and to the life of our society and situation.     Sophia


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