Asia Teeters Toward Food Crisis from Lack of Water
Just before dusk on the central plain of India's northern Punjab state Naresh Kumar, 22, crouches under drill and sprinkles mustard oil, turmeric, raw sugar and confections inside a 10-inch circle traced in the rich soil.
Hands clasped and head bowed, he offers a short prayer to a Sufi saint asking for a bountiful supply of groundwater. He then cranks up his coughing and wheezing diesel engine, lines up the tube well drill over the offerings and releases a lever that brings an iron cylinder crashing into the earth, turning a parcel of India's fertile breadbasket into Swiss cheese.
"Business is growing by the year," says Kumar. "But we've placed about as many tube wells as we can in this area." As the water table in Punjab drops dangerously low farmers across the state are investing heavily -- and often going into debt -- to bore deeper wells and install more powerful pumps. On either side of Kumar's drill the calm beauty of emerald rice patties belies a quiet catastrophe brewing hundreds of feet beneath the surface. A prayer might be this region's best chance for survival.
India's groundwater woes are, in places, at crisis levels. But the problem is not confined to a few corners of the subcontinent; groundwater depletion is a major threat to food security and economic stability in China, the US, Mexico, Spain and parts of North Africa -- just to name a few. All of these regions are grappling with the problems inherent in extracting groundwater from deep below the earth's surface.
But the problem is most acute in India for two reasons: the country has long prided itself on being self-sufficient (not importing food) and because in this messy democracy free electricity is provided to farmers to win votes. Punjab, a wealthy state favored by the central government in New Delhi is just 1.5 percent of
India's total landmass, but its annual output of rice and wheat contribute 50 percent of the grain the government purchases for its food distribution programs that feed over 400 million poor Indians. Experts are now saying that the 375-foot deep tube well and 7.5 horsepower pump Naresh Kumar's installs for a local sharecropper is at the eye of a storm that threatens India's food security, environmental health, and economic progress.
"We have depleted the ground water to such an extent that it is devastating the country," says Dr. Gurdev Hira, an expert on soil and water quality at the Punjab Agriculture University. Dr. Hira estimates that the energy used in subsidizing rice production alone costs the state of Punjab US $381 million a year.
Dr. Hira and other experts warn that if left unchecked this system will bleed state budgets, parch aquifers and run small farmers out of business. Though the pace of growth in its cities has put India in the limelight, over 60 percent of the economy is directly or indirectly engaged in agriculture with more than two out of three Indians living in the rural areas.
In China, the agricultural use of groundwater has skyrocketed, and the fall in water tables has created a potential environmental catastrophe. "The breadbasket of China -- north of the Yellow River -- have millions of people dependent on groundwater," says David Molden, Deputy Director General at the International Water Management Institute in Colombo, Sri Lanka. With the water table dropping in many places across China at a rate approaching or exceeding 1.5 meters a year, "It's sitting there like a time bomb," says Molden.
Aside from India and China, the two other regions where groundwater depletion is at its worst is perhaps
North Africa and the Middle East, where groundwater extraction depletes aquifers that are not annually recharged. In India the problem is exacerbated by the fact that farmers in three states -- Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh -- pay nothing for electricity -- throughout India farmers' electricity is either heavily subsidized or completely free. So farmers run their pump sets with abandon, which further depletes the water table. Any farmer with the cash or collateral invests in larger, heavy-duty, power-hungry pumps capable of withstanding the grid's voltage fluctuations and frequent brown-outs.
8 Cheap Ways to Eat Vegan (You Don't Have to be Rich to Eat Healthy)
Eating vegan, or veganish, is about choosing to disengage from an industry that makes us sick, abuses animals, pollutes the planet, and squanders precious resources.
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As I coach people on becoming vegan, one common refrain I hear is that it's too expensive. When funds are low, the cheap burger or basket of chicken can appear to be the best value -- the most calories for the lowest price. We've been aggressively peddled the idea that a healthy diet is an expensive diet, something only for rich folks. And our experience seems to bear that out.
I understand the frustration. It doesn't seem right that meat should be so cheap and fresh vegetables, especially organic ones, relatively expensive. But once you look into it, the true cost of eating animal protein is higher than you can imagine. And being veganish in your approach to food is not only healthier by every measure, but it can actually be considerably cheaper as well. In fact, many staples of a vegan diet cost very little and can be found in any grocery store -- not just in specialty markets. Whole grains like quinoa or barley or brown rice, legumes like chickpeas or soybeans, and other beans like black-eyed peas and black beans are very inexpensive -- certainly cheaper than processed and packaged foods. Bought in bulk whole grains and beans can cost just pennies per meal. And because they are full of fiber they make you feel full and satisfied (put them into soups, stews, salads, burritos, etc.), without the dangerous saturated fat of animal protein. Fresh vegetables and fruits can be found at supermarkets and farmers' markets for very reasonable prices. Organic and specialty stores are great, but it's certainly not necessary to empty your wallet in order to eat healthfully.
Beans, grains, veggies -- these are the staples of populations around the world. Think of Mexico and South America, where inexpensive rice and beans coupled with corn tortillas and avocados are part of every diet; or rural China, where tofu with vegetables and rice, and maybe a very small bit of meat, is the norm; or India where people eat lentils or chickpeas and vegetables every day. Not only are these populations by no means wealthy, they also don't have the diseases of wealthy countries. The general populations who eat these simple diets may get waterborne illnesses and lung infections from bad environmental conditions, but they don't have anywhere near the rates of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes that we have -- until they are exposed to our Western diet, that is.
And that's something to think about. Not only is a healthful plant-based diet less expensive at the grocery store (unless you go crazy for packaged convenience foods, of course), it saves you personally and saves us societally in health care and many other direct and indirect costs. If you think these don't affect you so much, think again. On the individual level alone, consider that your health insurance never pays for everything: even the best of plans charge deductibles and disallow certain medications. Being sick is expensive. More than that, a huge part of our country's annual budget is given over to health-care costs, paid for by your tax dollars. And indirect health-care costs due to lost productivity adversely affect you in the form of higher taxes, too.
On the health-care front, when you consider that meat and dairy foods clog our bodies with saturated fat, growth hormones, and antibiotics, things that have been conclusively linked to cancer, heart disease, and obesity, as well as a general "blah" feeling, it's certainly a lot less expensive -- and less painful -- to prevent debilitating diseases through our food choices than it is to treat them later (through bypass surgery or angioplasty, for example, which can run up tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills).
FOOD
Feedlot Meat Has Spurred a Soy Boom That Has a Devastating Environmental and Human Cost
Much of South America is rapidly coming to resemble Iowa. Where one might expect to see virgin Amazon rainforest, lush grasslands or Patagonian steppe, there are now often monocultures of soybeans, extending for miles and miles. People and cultures are disappearing in the transition; small landholders and tenant farmers are being driven off their land (or pushed deeper into untouched forests or grasslands); and pasture-based cattle ranches are being replaced by feedlots. In the feedlots the cattle eat some of the soy produced on the land where they once would have grazed; but an enormous portion of the soy is never eaten in South America. Instead, it is exported, mostly to China or the EU. (The United States is the largest producer and exporter of soy in the world and is thus not a major market for South American soy.)
The change has occurred only in the last few decades. Soybeans now occupy huge swaths of land in Brazil,
Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia. Together, these nations make up five of the world's top 10 soy producers. Most significant among them are Brazil and Argentina, which together produced over 105 million metric tons of soybeans in 2008. Half of Argentina's cropland is devoted to soy, and the crop makes up one-third of the country's exports. And for the most part, soy cultivation, processing and exporting took off in these countries since the year 2000. Soy is typically crushed into meal, which is fed to animals, and made into oil used for biofuels or added to many food products.
The changes in farming that have accompanied the soy boom would hardly raise an eyebrow for many Americans, where soy has been a major crop and livestock feed for decades. After all, the U.S. more or less invented and then exported this farming model. The soybeans are grown on large farms, often over 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres), and sometimes on farms significantly larger than that. As the acreage devoted to soy grew over the last decade, the land became concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. Soybeans are grown using commercial fertilizer, herbicides like Roundup (glyphosate), atrazine, and 2,4-D, insecticides like endosulfan, and fungicides.
In 1996, Argentina was the first to permit GE soy, and now 98 percent of the nation's soy is genetically engineered. Today, Argentina is also home to several weeds resistant to Monsanto's herbicide Roundup, a direct result of overuse of Roundup on GE soy. From Argentina, GE soy was smuggled and illegally planted in neighboring countries. Brazil legalized GE soy in 2003, and by 2007, some two-thirds of its crop was genetically modified.
Along with the soy comes a model of vertical integration and corporate concentration. Five companies in Argentina -- Cargill, Bunge, Dreyfus, and two Argentinian companies, Aceitera General Deheza and Vicentin -- control 80 percent of Argentina's nearly $4.9 billion in soybean oil exports. Similarly, Cargill, Dreyfus, Toepfer, Archer Daniels Midland, and Nidera control soybean meal. (Argentina's soy meal exports were worth over $7.1 billion in 2008.) Often, farmers contract with these companies, which designate how the farmer is to grow the beans.
As many of the companies are foreign, as are the companies that make the seeds, fertilizer and pesticides, Paraguayans complain of a "triple loss of sovereignty: to rely on export earnings from a single product, transgenic soybeans, the seeds for which are provided by a single company, the multinational Monsanto; loss of territorial sovereignty as large areas are leased or purchased by foreign producers, Brazilians and Argentinians; and also a loss of food sovereignty, because soy uses monocultures and displaces food production for dietary staples of the rural population."
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 | 01. Giant Black Diamond Watermelon 30 seeds- Nearly round fruits weighing up to 40 lbs. Bright red, firm, sweet flesh. Very dark green and thick rind makes for good shipping. 90 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 02. Marglobe Tomato 30 seeds- Very vigorous and produces large, flat fruit that weighs about 200 g. Deep red flesh has a good consistency and flavor. 25 seeds. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 03. Howden Pumpkin 30 seeds - (20-30 lb.) Howden pumpkin seed produces an excellent yield of medium to large deep-orange fruits. 115 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 04. Self Blanch Cauliflower 30 seeds - 68 days. Brassica oleracea. Plant produces flavorful snow ball type cauliflower. Leaves curl upward and cover head to keep sun from ruining white color. Plant early as it stops growing when it gets hot. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 05. Yolo Wonder Pepper 30 seeds -Firm, thick walls on blocky mostly four, lobed fruits. Fruits start out dark-green and mature to bright-red. Tolerant to tobacco-mosaic. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 06. Mary Washington Asparagus 30 seeds - Popular standard variety. 2 years to market. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 07. Blue Hubbar Squash 30 seeds- (12-15 lb.) The flesh on this New England favorite is a rich yellow-orange color, thick, sweet and flavorful. The 7 to 10 lb. fruits are 12” x 17” and have a light gray-blue rind that is hard and thickly warted. Great storage squash. 110 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 08. Red Romaine Lettuce 30 seeds - Useful, colorful tart addition to salad, gourmet variety crops. 70 days. Sow directly into sterilized soil. Grow plants cool, 55-60F. Saleable in 4-5 weeks. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 09. Detroit Dark Red Beet 30 seeds- Classic favorite. Globe-shaped, deep red color. Good for late sowing. 65 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 10. Golden Acre Cabbage 30 seeds- January - February. Grow 3-4 weeks at 60F then harden off one week. Sow directly or transplant into packs for sale in early Spring. 250 seeds. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 11. Rutgers Tomato 30 seeds of this popular garden variety. Its flavor for slicing and cooking is unequaled. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 12. Dapple Grey Beans 30 seeds- A sister variety to the ever popular Anasazi bean. Use instead of Pinto, Anasazi, or Zuni Gold beans. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 13. Black Seeded Lettuce 30 seeds - Large upright heads with a compact leaf-type, this lettuce is light green. Very early, dependable, and productive. Very heat tolerant and slow to bolt. 45 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 14. Delicious Tomato 30 seeds- Huge 1 lb. or more fruit. Smooth, red, fairly crack resistant. 77 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 15. Yellow Indian Woman Beans 30 seeds- This small oval bean was grown and passed down for generations in a family that came from Sweden and finally settled in Montana. It is being described as light and tender. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 16. Imperator Carrot 30 seeds -Sweet and tender carrot does best in loose soils. Measures 1-1 1/2” at the top and tapers 8-9” to a point. Flesh is deep orange color. 75 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 17. Butterscotch Bean 30 seeds - Date back to the 1860's in New England, where they were famously used for "Boston Baked Beans". This is a bush bean. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 18. Tendergreen Mustard 30 seeds- The best mustard for greens. Dark- green, shiny leaves with smooth edges. Heavy producer. 45 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 19. Brandywine Red 30 seeds- Dates back to the mid 1880s. These tomatoes average about 12-ounces, but have often grown up to 2-pounds. The flesh is creamy and the taste is superb. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 20. Chioggia Beet 30 seeds - Beautiful Italian heirloom. The mild flavored greens can be used raw or cooked. 60 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 21. White Sweet Spanish Onion 30 seeds - Mild, sweet and tasty. White fleshed, with a thin neck. Good Winter keeper. Produces fruits weighing 1 lb. 110 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 22. Scarlet Nantes Carrot 30 seeds - Fresh market, processing or finger carrots. Slow bolting, to give you a long harvest.$4.50 a pack. |
 | 23. Scarlet Emperor Beans 30 seeds- This beautiful large bean is named for its flower, has a long history in Great Britain and other parts of Europe. It can be picked young when both pod and beans can be eaten. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 24. Green Zebra 30 seeds - 14 days. 70-75°F. Yellow-green with dark green stripes. This old favorite features a mild flavor and offers heavy production. 80 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 25. Mayflower Bean 30 seeds - Brought over on the Mayflower in 1620. Very productive, and good as a dry bean. This is a Pole bean. 100 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 26. Cherokee Purple 30 seeds- Very productive plants bear loads of 10 to 12 ounce dark Exhibits tolerance to mild drought and tolerance to common diseases. Pleasantly sweet and rich flavor. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 27. Waltham Broccoli 30 seeds-This old time New England variety is great for a fall crop. The 6-8” plant develops a large, mature head. 63 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 28. Cubanelle Sweet Frye Pepper 30 seeds - Sweet Peppers are a favorite home garden vegetable. The attractive, compact plants compliment any garden. Peppers are green, turning red at full maturity when the flavor sweetens considerably. They are delicious raw or cooked. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 29. Black and White Calypso 30 seeds - Great for baking and soups. Strong 15" plants. Averages 4-5 seeds per pod, extremely productive, Bush habit, 70-90 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 30. Mortgage Lifter 30 seeds-developed in the 1930’s by M.C. Byles in Logan, West Virginia to help pay his home mortgage off. Large, pink, 1 lb. fruits. 79 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 31. Georgia Collord Green 30 seeds-Collards are not only big in their nutritional profiles; they also provide a powerful presence out in the vegetable garden. Collards are like an extroverted form of cabbage that grows outward instead of holding itself in. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 32. Black Krim Tomato 30 seeds- Brownish-purple to maroon colored fruit with green shoulders. Sweet, mild and rich in flavor. Approximately 12 oz. 80 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 33. Lincoln Pea 30 seeds- This variety comes into production quickly, making it a good early crop. Plants grow about 30” (75 cm) tall and are very productive. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 44. All American Parship 30 seeds - Plants are frequently grown with carrots, beets. Their delicate, sweet rutty flavor compliments any meal. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 35. Arkansas traveler 30 seeds- Creamy, mild flavor, medium sized (approximately 6 oz.). Pink in color. 85-90 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 36. Copenhaugen Market Cabbage 30 seeds- Introduced by H. Hartman & Company in 1909. Solid heads reach 6-8" in diameter, weigh 3-4 pounds and rarely burst. Medium-sized plants are ideal for small gardens. 63-100 days from transplant.$4.50 a pack. |
 | 37. Brandy Wine Yellow Tomato 30 seeds- Vigorous growing variety bears delicious fruit. Excellent for salads, juice, canning and relish. American's most popular vegetable. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 38. Waltham Butternut 30 seeds - This is a very popular and wonderful tasting winter or storage squash. Grow about 8" (20cm) long and are bulbed at one end. Stores extremely well. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 39. Laxton Progress Pea 30 seeds -This early, all purpose variety produces long 4" (10cm) pods filled with 7-9 sweet, tender peas. Plants are very productive. Grows best in cool weather. Use fresh or cooked, good for freezing. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 40. German Johnson Tomato 30 seeds- Old time favorite. Extra-large, rough fruit, pink with yellow shoulders. Mild, low acid and very meaty. 80 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 41. Bloody Butcher Corn 30 seeds - Ears are blood red with some darker red kernels intermixed. 8-10” ears. 110 days. $4.50 a Pack. |
 | 42. Beefsteak 30 seeds - Extra large, meaty and ribbed deep-scarlet fruit. 12 oz. 90 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 43. Purple Plum Radish 30 seeds - Firm white flesh, crisp, sweet and mild. This all season radish is never pithy or hot. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 44. Black Valentine Bean 30 seeds - All black beans turn purplish after cooking and have a meaty texture and rich, nutty flavor. This is a bush bean. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 45. Bradley Tomato 30 seeds - Heirloom. Semi-determinate short stake type. Features pink fruit with green shoulders. 80 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 46. Red & White Calypso Bean 30 seeds - This rare heirloom bean has survived many hardships. Blends well with fresh corn. This is a bush bean. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 47. White Wonder Cucumber 30 seeds- Popular for slicing and pickling. Fruit is normally 4-6” long and has a natural white color. 60 days.$4.50 a pack. |
 | 48. Purple Top White Turnip 30 seeds- Widely used since before 1880. Uniform 6" smooth white globes are best for eating when 3-4" in diameter. Sweet mild fine-grained white flesh. Excellent quality, stores extremely well. 350 seeds. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 49. Quattro Stagioni Lettuce 30 seeds - Variety suitable for all seasons, with good resistance to the cold. The yield is quite considerable. Transplant when the seedlings have 4-5 leaves, in rows 30-40 cm apart leaving 30-40 cm between the rows. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 50. Yellow Globe Turnip 30 seeds- Smoother, more uniform roots, better vigor. 52 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 51. Bloomsdale Long Spinach 30 seeds- The large, 6”-8” long, dark-green, glossy leaves are not only delicious but high in vitamins. Produces a cool weather crop that resists bolting. 44 days. 80 seeds. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 52. Appaloosa Beans 30 seeds- This is the classic heirloom bean, a graceful slender, curved oval bean with mottled purple-white markings. When cooked the bean holds it's shape nicely, and delivers a richly, herbaceous flavor. $4.50 a pack |
 | 53. White Lisbon Onion 30 seeds - Smooth stalks, mild flavor. Popular bunching type. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 54. Moon & Stars Watermelon 30 seeds- This variety features large, oval, 40 lb. fruits with dark-green skin speckled with bright-yellow splashes from star to moon size. Very unusual, the Moon & Stars leaves are also speckled and are perfect for fresh markets. 95-100 days.$4.50 a pack. |
 | 55. Delicious Cantaloupe 30 seeds- Sweet, juicy vine-ripened cantaloupes are a special treat from the summer garden. These delightful fruits require lot of heat and sunshine to mature to full sweetness and deep color.$4.50 a pack. |
 | 56. Baby Borlotti Beans 30 seeds - This classic Italian bean is a medium large tan bean splashed with red-black to magenta streaks. It is very popular in Italian and Portuguese cuisine. |
 | 57. White Icicle Radish 30 seeds- Long 3” white roots. Crisp and mild. Withstands heat better than most. 28 days. |
 | 58. Edisto Cantaloupe 30 seeds- A Carolina favorite is back. 3 to 5 lb. fruit. Resistant to Alternaria, powdery mildew and downey mildew. Finely netted, does well in hot, humid conditions. 85 days. |
 | 59. Big Max Pumpkin 30 Seeds- Lots of fun to grow, but requires considerable space. In addition to growing pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns you can use them for cooking (pies), canning or just eat they seed. |
 | 60. Eye of the Goat Beans 30 Seeds - Favorite small bean in Baja California, gray with a dark stripe which gives the name "Goats Eye". Similar in flavor to Flor de Mayo Beans, sweet, with smooth texture. |
 | 61. Italian Basli Valention Herb30 seeds is particularly appreciated for its compact growth, forming small uniform bush and its fine leaves, large, crinkly and drooping, bright green.$4.50 a pack. |
 | 62. Chamomile30 seeds Tall, erect plant has downy stems, feather-like fuzzy leaves and deep-yellow, daisy-like flowers with an apple flavor and fragrance Reseeds itself and likes sandy, well drained soil. Full sun.$4.50 a pack. |
 | 63. Dill Bouquet 30 seeds Leaves used fresh to flavor salads, dips, vinegars and meat, fish and vegetable dishes.$4.50 a pack. |
 | 64. Lemon Balm 30 seeds Saleable annual herb plants are ready 6-8 weeks from sowing. Not frost tolerant. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 65. Oregano 30 seeds Shrub-like appearance, dark-green, oval 2” leaves and pale pink-purple flowers. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 66. Parsley Forest Green 30 seeds Keeping stems clean makes bunching easier. Double and triple curled leaves. Keeps color and regrows well. 75 days. $4.50 a pack. |
 | 67. Thyme Broad Leaf 30 seeds Saleable annual herb plants are ready 6-8 weeks from sowing. Not frost tolerant. $4.50 a pack. |
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