DAn,
Re intensive agriculture, take a look at this site. Its run by a (US) american
Stacia and her Danish hubbie, Kristof, Nordeen. At one time they ran something
called the Malawi permaculture institute. It started in their backyard when we
first saw them in ? 95 but they stuck with it and they enjoy a pretty large
network today. As I googled it a few minutes ago I did not find that specific
insitute but I did find this with their names attached:
http://www.neverendingfood.org/about/
What is more important is that the participation amongst Malawians has grown
immensly…Thats the hard part to establish and thats what is all about.
Richard Stanley
www.legacyfound.org
On Nov 16, 2013, at 5:42 AM, [email protected] wrote:
Stovers.
I've been thinking a lot tonight about the food situation in Africa. The
fact is that there is a lot of land, but poor soils in some places, and MIS
management of large tracts based on ownership. It seems to me that intensive
farming has to be the way to go. Small farmers would not be tied to large land
payments.
Cheap row covers can help with a lot of the problems I see with conserving
water and controlling pests of all sizes. Shade cloth is amazing, that, and
water are all you need to grow in a tropical environment.
Then I think about the large Natural Gas field just discovered on the East
Coast of Africa.
Does anyone know if there are any ethane crackers, or polyethylene factories on
the East Coast? If there are none, someone needs to pass a petition to get one.
The big energy producers will do whatever is supported and make money. I forget
which major oil companies are in that lease. We can look that up. They should
be approached.
Also, An ammonia plant would produce a plentiful supply of cheap stable
nitrogen.
Both fundamental chemicals would produce a host of other spin off
industries.
This exact chain of events is happening here in Ohio and Pennsylvania with
the Marcellas/ Utica shale discovery. It is a repeat of the great industrial
revolution that swept Ohio in mid 1900s fuels by cheap shallow gas. We still
make a loofa of concrete, ceramics, glass, steel, rubber. and so on.
This would spear head bringing the gas home. It would reduce carbon
pollution by saving all the shipping of LNG. Even if they installed small
ethylene separators in the well field, the ethylene could be shipped by barge
to the shore right away, before the pipeline was even built.
To get the funding for a pipeline you need an immediate, captive,
profitable market for the gas, waiting. The manufacturing of cheap UV resistant
plastic sheeting and more importantly, shade cloth, would create a green
revolution. People would be lining shelters with the old yellowed, disagreed
plastic.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for renewable and such. The issue here is
that the gas will get produced, and who is the best party to use that gas in
the larger scheme of things. Why send the gas to China and then send products
back? It makes no sense. Reducing poverty and hunger are never a bad thing.
The distribution of finished plastic goods, The distribution of fertilizer,
then the produce it helps create, will spread over the continent. Then there
will be resources to buy things from China anyway. It's a wining situation for
everybody. But it all starts with controlling a share of the feedstock at home.
Economics is all about value added, and then vertical integration.
This revolution would enhance the production of renewable, not inhibit it.
One had washes the other.
Just some thoughts. What do I know about Africa?
Dan Dimiduk
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