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https://theconversation.com/how-trade-regulations-may-be-opening-up-a-new-era-of-sustainable-growth-in-the-global-south-182070>
"You may or may not have noticed from the headlines of the past years: in our
interconnected world the food systems are increasingly under pressure.
Cross-border trade has brought prosperity to households and food diversity to
our kitchens, but also an increased risk of transporting pests and pathogens.
Illegal trade in live animals, which accounts for $8-10 billion annually,
exacerbate these hazards yet even more.
Climate change is another global challenge, unleashing heat waves, floodings
and hurricanes on our cultures. Moreover, warmer temperatures provide ideal
breeding conditions for pests and pathogens attacking plants and livestock. The
biblical Desert Locus plague that clouded over the Horn of Africa in 2020 was
due to unusual high rainfall and flooding in areas usually spared by the
insect. A year later, homeowners and farmers in the Northeast, Midwest, South
and Southwest United States watched in horror as an unprecedented fall armyworm
invasion stripped down rice, soybean, alfalfa and other crop fields. The United
Nations reckon some 40% of global crop production is currently lost to pests
while plant diseases cost the global economy more than $220 billion annually.
Amid these increased stresses, we are not equal. Rich countries such as the
United States, Canada, Japan and much of western Europe – the Global North –
bear a large responsibility for climate change, having emitted 50% of all
greenhouse gases since the Industrial Revolution. They have also developed
better strategies to control the cross-border transport of pathogens, pests,
and diseases through technology and production practices (e.g., the use of
rootstocks to limit the spread of diseases on perennial crops; the genetic
selection of resistant varieties)."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
