more from dad cat bouncing


we began trying to meet demand by increasing yield via fertilizers, irrigation, and better, if more homogenous, seed varieties (one of the downsides of this has been a loss of resilience, as the same varieties are grown worldwide, and 80% of the global wheat planting area is vulnerable to the UG99 wheat fungus, now spreading rapidly in Africa). It worked to the extent that between 1975 and 1986 yields for wheat and rice rose 32% and 51% respectively, the so-called 'green revolution'. However, since then, these techniques have stopped producing increased yields due to adverse feedback effects: you can't spray fertilizer and irrigate fields beyond a certain point without damaging the land, thus reducing yields. Meantime, the shift to a diet higher in animal proteins in Asia, as real income per capita rises, is putting severe pressure on global supplies.