jfleck at inkstain

A few thoughts from John Fleck, a writer of journalism and other things, living in New Mexico

On the implications of pumping California dry

So what if we pump California’s Central Valley aquifers to empty? On The Public Record twiddles on the back of an envelope: Before this report, my rough feel was that about one million acres of irrigated lands in CA are supported by unsustainable groundwater withdrawals. If overdraft is 10 MAF/year in the Central Valley, it [...]

Having to rip out your lawn is not the worst thing that can happen

The bemused Brits at the Economist paid Pat Mulroy a visit: The main reason why Lake Mead, currently only 40% full, has been getting emptier is a decade-long drought. Whether this is a cyclical and normal event, or an early sign of climate change, is unclear. But even if the drought ends, most scientists think [...]

Food Prices

Global food prices are down 6 percent from one month ago, 34 percent from a year ago, according to the Economist’s food price index.

Food Cheap

The global price of food is down 27 percent from a year ago, says the Economist. I’d link, but I’m typing this on my iPod.

Food Prices Rise

Has the global food price slide finally stopped? The Economist food price index is up 10 percent over last week.

Food Hits Bottom?

Has the global food price hit bottom? The Economist food price index is up from last week, and 0.6 percent above the price a month ago.

The Flip Side of Declining Food Prices

Yes, as I have noted many times, food is getting a lot cheaper. But the other downsides to the current economic mess are likely to overwhelm any short term benefits for the hungry in the world’s poor parts, according to an analysis by Joachim von Braun of the International Food Policy Research Institute, published in [...]

Food Slide Continues

I guess all of us eat, right? So the continued slide in the global price of food is a good thing, right? Economists have a model they call the “cobweb model“. It basicaly says that when the price drops, farmers plant less, there’s less food, and the price goes back up. So maybe not such [...]

Running Low on Food

FAO thinks we should not be sanguine about falling global food prices: [T]he gradual return to equilibrium in food markets should not be taken to assume that the world’s food problems have been fixed, neither in the short-run nor with a view to the longer-term challenges. Cereal stocks still need to be replenished and lower [...]

Collier on Global Food Prices

Paul Collier, writing in the current Foreign Affairs, argues thus about climate change and food prices: In recent years, the increase in demand resulting from gradually increasing incomes in Asia has instead been matched with several supply shocks, such as the prolonged drought in Australia. These shocks will only become more common with the climatic [...]

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