Anarchy in the UK

[British Red]

Anyone else ever thought about this?

Once or twice

 

[jamalex]

Yup, exactly.

And that is maximum MECHANISED production of foodstuffs, so it assumes a supply of fuel.

I read something recently which gave the "true" cost of food as being many times more expensive that what we actually pay (I don't remember now was it 4x, 6x or 8x, but somewhere in that region). It is only because we have machines doing the farming, rather than people/animal power, that we manage to make food so cheap. We currently spend the smallest % of our disposable income on food, since records began. People who say food is expensive, are unfortunately not being altogether realistic
.

All agriculture is based on petrochemicals, driving the engines or producing fertiliser and pesticides. Serious think tanks and research indicate that within fifteen years food production in its current state in most countries will be failing.

Hopefully things will have changed and it won't be a sudden end of the world as we know it.

Now why did I start getting into bushcraft then?!

 

[phill_ue]

No one ever heard of trade?

If you have a survival cache of tinned goods, batteries, and what have you, it will be looted, on the other hand if you have valuable survival skills they can be traded.

Remember the Triffids? How people that could see were suddenly very important and were handcuffed to blind people against heir will? What is stopping a group of people, who find out you can rub sticks together and make fire amongst other things, from catching you and keeping you to perform bushcraft related tasks to keep them alive?

Food for thought!

 

[susi]

Serious think tanks and research indicate that within fifteen years food production in its current state in most countries will be failing.

Can you link to some sources of that please?


Part of my work sees me involved in the agricultural industry and its future growth, including alternative fuels for ag equipment, e.g. biodiesel, biogas and hydrogen. So I'm honestly very interested in seeing this research you're quoting!

 

[reddave]

There was a thread on British Blades, before the revamp, (and now I can't find it) which was along the same lines. The OP stated a rather bleak scenario and lots of people chipped in with some good ideas. But then OP changed the scenario and TBH I thought he was being silly. Others still added to it and challenged the idea of the worsening scenario with remedies of their own including european aid. The scenario got bleaker and darker still and then people started resorting to base human behaviour. I didn't follow it that avidly but had a look in on it at about page 18/19. Having re-read all the thread again, it was a shocking revelation to what people who have prepared, in various ingenious formats, will do in a crisis situation. But what was more shocking was the accuracy of prediction of collapse of nanny's forces when overwhelmed by the masses of unprepared people in a hungry and desperate situation and the resulting anarchy that ensued.
Needless to say, whilst I'm working in Holland, I've started learning to sail.

 

[British Red]

Can you link to some sources of that please?


Part of my work sees me involved in the agricultural industry and its future growth, including alternative fuels for ag equipment, e.g. biodiesel, biogas and hydrogen. So I'm honestly very interested in seeing this research you're quoting!

Growing world population will cause a "perfect storm" of food, energy and water shortages by 2030, the UK government chief scientist has warned.

The United Nations Environment Programme predicts widespread water shortages across Africa, Europe and Asia by 2025.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7951838.stm


David Attenborough is not a renowned conspiracy theorist or hysteric. If you haven't read his thoughts you can an overview here. A number of respected scientists (including government advisors) appear to concur.

Between now and 2050 the world’s population will rise from 6 billion to about 9.5 billion. This is the concern addressed by Attenborough.

John Guillebaud, emeritus professor of family planning and reproductive health at University College London, said it was a mistake to think Britain’s population was stable.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article855953.ece

Not saying I necessarily buy into everything proposed here, but some serious minds are taking the issue seriously

Red

 

[Oblio13]

Even a casual study of the Haiti earthquake or the New Orleans hurricane will show you what people need when our modern infrastructure fails: Shelter, water, food, heat, light, security. All things that bushcrafting skills are conducive to achieving.

Just this morning the news was showing empty grocery store shelves because of the latest snow storm, and we were wondering why people never seem to learn.

We think it's cheap insurance to keep a few dozen pop bottles filled with beans, barley, quinoa, peas, wheat, corn, etc. in the pantry. Each bottle was packed with an oxygen absorber, so they should last for decades. Living on a lake, water's not a problem. There are always a couple cords of firewood stacked and drying. In the basement there's a box of candles and a few jerry cans of diesel for the car. Longer term, we have a nice garden, a variety of fruit trees, a few hens and a couple bee hives. We enjoy foraging for wild foods and have gained knowledge that might be important as well as fun some day. We live in an area where people tend to be both friendly and armed, a combination that makes robbery uncommon and frequently unsuccessful.

 

[sandbender]

This site provides a few links to articles concerning the 'quality' of the food we are growing these days and suggests that although we are now growing more food, the actual food value of these crops has declined over the past fifty years.

http://www.survivalgardening.net/gm-crops/gm-crops.html

Perhaps of interest to some of the posters here.

Edited to add:

The page also features a fantastic photo of some 'old' variety tomatoes.