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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 16, 1985)
P, h |<? 4. Portland OlMUirvor, J.inu.iry 16, 1985 Special Coupon Ethiopia: tip of the iceberg Editor's Note P h lures of the fam me in I thiopiu should warn us o f more than the immediate tragedy they represent Hasicallv. writes PNS com mentalor I ester R Hrown. the world's ab ility to produce adequate fo o d supplies is fulling, and will continue Io do so unless we act Hrown is presi dent o f Worldwutch Institute and protect director o f its Annual State of the World Reports be I ester H Hrown Lihm pia's lamine is more than a tragic bul lemorary emergency II is ihe most visible sign uxlay of »hat has been a dangerous, decade-long shifi in ihe entire world food econ omy From 1950 until 1973, global food production surged, outstripping pop ulation growth and holding out the hope that hunger could be banished. Hut since 1973, food production has barely kept pace with population — and this trend seems certain to con tinue, or worsen, unless the global economy comes into better balance with the ecosystem. — Less farmland per person. Most ol the world's tillable soil is already being tilled. A U .S . Dept. o f A g ri culture study indicates that world farmland will expand by only four percent between 1980 and 2(XM) while population grows some 40 percent. At the same time, cities, industries and **automobili/ation** are taking an even bigger bite out of the earth. In fact, Ihe area of arable land has been declining for nearly two decades in Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Eastern Asia, including China and Japan. Factories in China, for example, are built along the coasts, where most Chinese live — and where most of the good farmland is located. Closer to home, the Science Council of Canada reports “ half the farm land lost to urban expansion is coming from the best one-twentieth of our farmland.” It estimates 240 acres of new farm land in Canada’s western provinces are needed to replace every 100 acres urbanized in the east where rainfall is higher. STARVATION M y granary u empty. The rams are nowhere. the sun u baking the grounds dry That the soils thirst fo r rains just as I do Looking beyond all I see are mirages. Ihe grounds roast my bare feet as I trod in search o j J ood. The green pasture is gone. The trees are leafless. There is no shade fo r my bald head I have scratched every inch o f the ground in want o f something to fill m v lummy. As I count day and night. I pray fo r the rams. Hoping that I will live to see the next day. I have been living on my sour salt a fo r days; My tummy grumbles and my children hunger They are weak, hungry, sick and restless; they know not the tragedy — all thev want is food II is painful, sorrowful and heartbreaking, Hut there isn ’I much one can airomplish l^ t those who hear o f us, bear with us the drought has left us without. We are homeless and hungry; It feels like you are all alone in the world A t the mercy o f famine. by Melisa T. Wambalaba (In Remembering my Ethiopian Sisters and Brothers) These losses are not being offset elsewhere. Throughout the Third World, the newest land to be farmed also lends to be the poorest. As a re sult, in countries such as Nigeria or Brazil, improved farming techniques have barely compensated for a steady decline in land quality, so cereal yields have not increased since 1950. W ith fertile land shrinking, it stands to reason that virtually any growth in world food supplies must come from raising the productivity of land. Here, too, recent developments arc discouraging. — Diminishing returns. World food (Hitput doubled over the past genera tion, in part, because o f a massive increase in the use o f chemical fe r tilizers. But price hikes and mounting foreign debt have made that sort of growth considerably less likely in the Third World. And even where ferti- lizer use stays high, as in the United States, diminishing returns are setting in, and many farmers find it no longer profitable to use more at current farm prices. Irrigation is Ihe other big key to improving land yields, but it loo is constrained — in some places by a scarcity of fresh water, in others by lack of capital Depletion of the Ogal lala aquifier, a vast natural reservoir underlying America's southern plain stales, has reduced this nation's total irrigated area by three percent. Sim ilarly, water drawn for industrial and agricultural uses in the Heijing- Tienlsin region of Northeast China lowers the aquifer several feet a year. Lack o f fresh water in the Soviet Union is frustrating efforts to expand feedgrain production for that coun try’s swelling livestock herds. In poorer countries, much of the EASY LONG DISTANCE DIALING FROM PACIFIC NORTHWEST cheapest irrigation is already in place and newer projects carry hefty price tags. These places could modify irri gation practices to conserve water and energy, yet it seems the world today is paying no more attention to efficient water use than it did to effi cient oil use in 1970. One other natural resource, even more vital to farmers than petroleum or water, is being exhausted at an alarming pace. A record 25 billion tons of topsoil are lost through ero sion of each year, draining land of its productivity on every continent. As land and water become more precious, and fertilizer and pesticides more expensive, how affordable will the daily meal be for the world's poorest, who already spend most of their income on food? — Clim actic change. Increasing food production further will also bring another great cost. When mar ginal land is asked to produce more, fragile ecosystems can be irreversibly damaged. In A frica, for example, deforestation, farming and grazing in semi-arid regions have evidently set o ff a round o f climactic changes, actually reducing rainfall and drying out ihe continent. Similar phenomena have been observed in northeastern Brazil, northwestern India and northwestern China, where growing populations cause wholesale shifts in land and deserts are expanding. In South America's Andean countries popu lation pressures have pushed farming up mountainsides where even the casual observer can see that much of the freshly-plowed soil will be washed away, leaving only bare rocks and hungry people. ( 2 ) Pacific Northwest Bell • IMW Pw ifK NofihwcM Bell off COUPON Managwr Stylist Sharon Stylist Terry • Stylist Sandra CURLS *30“L 4711 N. Interstate 249-8440 The Urban League's Low-Income Energy Assistance program serves near North/Northeast Portland. To receive this one time payment for heating, you must call for an appointment. You will be given date, time, and location in order to prevent your waiting in long lines or pos sibly not being seen after waiting. The central appointment number is 284 2776. Thia year's program will operate at the following office: Urban League LIEAP Office 284 2776 4128 N.E. Union Avenue Portland. Oregon 97211 A scheduled appointm ent is a MUST and the program REQUIRES you to bring the following: — Proof of household income. — Copy of current electric bill. — Any other heating bills, with account numbers. — Paid medical expenses. — Proof of residency. — Social Security numbers of family members. 284-2776 $10 to $100.000 Minimum Maximum Investment Effet five A nnual Y ield 2% -Year Savings Certificates 10.67% 10.00% $100 to $100.000 Minimum. Maximum Investment Effective Annual Yield 6 M onth Savings Certificates 9.82% 9.35% $1,000 to $100.000 M in im u m M axim u m Invetrine nt Kale Now ihnxigtijanuan 31st. wv'rc painting the town green with supei high rates on .xir savings certifieates Inekiding a 10 75% rate on 10 \ ear IRA Certificates So cash in on the Gteen Sale of the year Hurry in soon to The Ben) Franklin nearest uxi K jf.s uibw . t l . ' . l u ' , w ith . xh jl JANAE HAIRSTYLE 11.51% 10.75% f Restive Annual h icld il h Relaxera Perm $15.00 • Reg. $20.00 10-Year IR A Certificates 5 ”1 No C ha«*’ Ben’s January Green Sale! f I I I I I $500 If the world is to be able to feed itself in the future, policymakers must begin to re-think that future. The solution lie in population con trol, restoration o f soils, reforesta tion, Ihe creation o f an energy- efficient world Americans shocked and haunted by images o f Ethiopians starving may find some solace in knowing that they live in one of the world’s great breadbaskets, with food to share. If present trends continue unabat ed, even breadbasket countries will be caught up in the breakdown of a world economy a You may have heard about EASY LONG DISTANCE DIALING from Pacific Northwest Bell. Its a service which allows you to ch<x>se from a number of long distance companies for your out-of-area calls. Once you’ve subscribed, you can place long dis tance calls using your selected company by simply dial ing “1” plus the area code and number. This will replace the multi digit codes now required with some long dis tance companies. Complete information about EASY LONG DISTANCE DIALING will be mailed to you, and we urge you to read this important material. It will explain how to sign up for the service when it becomes avail able to your prefix. It may be a while before the service is ready for your phone prefix, but Pacific North west Bell will be in toucn with every customer about subscribing. Meanwhile, if you have any questions about EASY LONG DISTANCE DIALING call us toll-free at 1-800-555-5000. January Coupon Special lKp>si«s H tM .i,J i S lt llt (MM1 In tl>s I 'M Iv. S h s tjn iu J m i. i. s i p s iu h i 1.« .a iK w M fklrjv«al i :
