The Economics of Eating

There's been lots of talk of a possible global famine due to the fertilizer shortage as a result of the closure of the Hormuz Strait. That might be the case, but it is also because our food system is designed for corporate profit. There's plenty of misunderstanding among the taking heads. I heard one commentator saying the soybean crop in Brazil is under threat due to the urea shortage. Soybeans are legumes. They can fix atmospheric nitrogen and don't need urea. Possibly the accompanying sulfur shortage could damage bean yields. Sulfuric acid is used to make phosphate more available. However, my point today is if we had a better agriculture system none of this would be problematic. Let's look at alternatives below the fold as well as the week's news.