Eucharist and the Coming Food Crisis

After many years of slowly growing our current food/agricultural crisis is beginning to hit the news. Crisis is perhaps a bit too strong right now, because the reality is that we haven’t seen anything yet.

It is important to understand what is causing this crisis. There are many factors here are some of the key ones.

1. Growing population. Lets face it there is a lot of us humans on the planet. While the percentage rate of population is beginning to slow slightly the sheer number of us means that the overall number of people being added to the population is growing faster then ever. Every single one of us has both a need and a right to food.
2. Increased consumption per person. Basically the worst thing that could happen for the environment and for humanity as a whole is if the rest of the world begins to live like us in North America and Europe. Basically the amount of hectors of land needed to produce meat is much higher then such things as grains and plants. So as more people in China and India and begin to eat more eggs and meat the effects on the food chain are huge. Equally huge is the number of people who are moving from one meal a day to two. Once again largely due to the economic growth of India and China.
3. Loss of productive land. There are several factors here. Basically most cities are situated on some of the most productive land in the world. So with the raped growth of cities has come a rapid destruction of productive farm land. At the same time vast amounts of land which has been marginal has become unproductive due to erosion, desertification and the big one – climate change. As the globe warms it is the tropical areas, where most of humanity lives, that experiences the most amount of increased evaporation and drought. The result is crop failures and less food – and a few wars to boot (ie. Darfour).
4. Lack of agricultural investment. For decades now food prices have been so low that their has been a decrease in investment in agriculture. One major sign of this has been the vast number of people globally who have left rural areas for urban ones. It also means that improvements in land, farming techniques etc. that bought about the first green revolution have been severely lacking resulting in land productivity far below what it could be. Luckily this higher prices should reverse this. Unlucky many of the things which increase productivity the most (such as fertilizers) require fossil fuels and potash, things who’s price has skyrocketed.
5. BioFuels. The reality is that many bio-fuels simply do not give enough bang for the carbon impact to make them worth while (corn based ethanol at best provides a 30% CO2 reduction – at 5% in a tank it is just not significant). The cost though are massive. Basically large amounts of productive land, food and fertilizers are directed towards their production and away from food production. Also once the food-fuel link is made the fuel hungry west’s economic power will simply overwhelm the hungry people of the non-industrialized countries. Basically so we can drive people will starve. While other froms of biofuels such as switch grass, cellulous, and algae may be significant this is not how most biofuels are produced.

So how do we respond? – First as people of faith we need to go deeper. It is at our table of faith that we can begin to find this.
One aspect of liturgy (the work of the people) is that it is in liturgy that we practice how we are to live the rest of our life. It is at the communion table that the great economy of God is modeled.

Worship towards the Eucharist as the gifts of the community are brought to the table. As the ancient songs sings, as the grains of wheat once scattered on the hills are gathered into one to become our bread. So we bring what we are and what we have been given back to God. It is blessed and then we all together participate in the feast. Each person taking what they need and not more.

So we begin to address the food crisis by recognizing that all food is in fact a gift from God. Even if we work the fields, is it not God who give the sun, who first created the seed, who brings the rains and gave us the life needed to work and gather? It is God’s, given so that all may eat and have life?

Redistribution is also key. The reality is that there is still an over abundance of food in some areas and great lack in other areas. Now for some this will mean the simple movement of food from one place to another. This though is more of a rarity. The reality is that it is our current trade structures which prevent the movement and sale of agricultural products in the less-industrialized countries to the industrialized countries. This is what has caused not only great poverty, eroding the purchasing power of these countries, but also prevented the necessary investments in agriculture in the countries where most of humanity lives in threat of hunger. In other words, yes give to the Food Grains Bank, but also write your MP/Senator and give also to those who are helping rural communities invest in themselves. It is an aspect of the Eucharist that everyone brings something to the table. That means this crisis will not be addressed simply by some giving to others. Rather we must work with people so that through their work we can all feed each other.

There is also some major work that we in the west need to do. The problem with consumption per person is largely a problem for the developed world to face. Lets face it having people go from one to two meals a day is a wonderfully good thing. Having us eat hamburgers each day and fill up our SUV’s with corn is just plane gluttony. It is the equivalent of running up to the Eucharist table and grabbing half the bread, drinking half the wine and running out the door. Instead of using ethanol, use your bike, or public transit or those feet God gave you. Instead of meat each day, reduce it to at most once a week. If you want to cook more vegetarian I suggest the Moosewood cook books (just increase the flavorings I usually double the spices).

As far as climate change there is only one things that will make the difference needed now; massive advocacy efforts towards our governments. We are talking about big changes, not small ones to make a difference. Simply if your politician doesn’t commit to a plan to move us from a carbon based economy, don’t vote for them and ask others to do the same. Your vote will do far more then changing a light bulb can (though change the light bulb as well). And if the company that you buy something from doesn’t have a green house gas reduction plan that they are implementing, then don’t buy from them.

For all us urbanites. I also highly recommend planting a garden. Those seeds scattered on the hills can easily land in some of the backyard now covered with lawns. I have also managed to grow small gardens on numerous apartment balconies. More then anything, it gives us urbanites a chance to more intimately come to understand the cycles of nature by which our food is produced. No it won’t feed the world, but it is a small way that we can be a part of the solution. And even more exciting, it give a chance to be apart of the spiritual journey of gathering the grains and vegetables scattered on the hills, gathered so that we might be one in God, with everyone having enough to eat. We are each invited to the feast. Please pass the mashed potatoes to those who are hungry.