posted December 20, 2007 11:56 PM              

Excerpts:
There are about 128 million people in Japan, many of them crowded into huge cities like Tokyo.
How to feed them is an issue that really worries the Japanese government.

Japan ranks 124th in the world in terms of food security, and as the global population continues to grow there is more competition for resources.

Japan grows just about enough rice, potatoes and vegetables to feed itself.
But it has to import huge amounts of wheat, beans, fruit and most of its animal feed.

Japan is only able to produce roughly half the meat the country needs and its fishermen catch just half the fish needed.

In the years after World War II, about half of Japan's economic effort was agricultural. Today the sector has shrunk to just 1%!

Full Story

Here's the deal... While reading this I began to really wonder where my own country was ranked so on and so forth... This really seemed to be a problem across the globe NOT just Japan.

We seem to be of societies that no longer rely on our own local efforts. While world trade is a wonderous thing we should really be concerned about these things, maybe imports should be "special items" we add to our diets rather than necessities in order to survive. Here in the US I see people so focused on getting cheaper this or that that they are willing, rather likely... to purchase say bananas that are not local to our area instead of say something else with similar nutritional value.

Note: This also means higher emissions in the air due to the transportation of these food items during trade.

I am concerned about our values, choices and descisions with agricultural.

*I also have a question for you Eleanore specifically, as I know you are living in Japan just now...
Do you really notice this as an issue locally? Granted I'm aware you may shop differently than locals (base options, etc.) But, are you able to purchase and survive off "local foods only" where you are?

Not to put you on the spot...
You are however, the only Lindalander that comes to mind just now, located there, LOL!