Crop Acreage-Ethanol v. Animal Farming & Food Prices
I keep reading in the news that one reason food prices are climbing so quickly is the amount of crop space being devoted to biofuels. Has anyone run across an article/essay/report on 1)the actual acreage being used for ethanol vs. acreage used for animal farming, and/or b)the quality and variety of crops and soil needed for both. For instance, a friend insists that the crops being used for ethanol don't require as high a grade of soil as those for animal feed, and that the whole plant gets used, not just the edible bits. I've tried various google searches, but haven't had any luck. Am I going to have to sift through the numbers in my spare time (ha!), or is there a scientist or reporter out there who's already done the foot work for me? What I would love to find (or have the proper resources to write) is an article detailing how the conversion of x amount of acres from animal use to biofuel/people food farming would impact food prices.
On a related note, having come from a Mormon background, where I was taught to store a year's worth of food just in case, and in light of increasing food prices, we've decided to start purchasing a year's worth of pantry staples. There are worksheets out there with what's needed, but they aren't necessarily vegan friendly. We were thinking of coming up with some meal ideas that lend themselves to heavy staple use and then figuring out how much we need, but I've got to learn about the shelf-life of various staples before I begin. Does anyone have any meal/recipe/list suggestions (besides Apocalypse Chow)?
Thanks!
On a related note, having come from a Mormon background, where I was taught to store a year's worth of food just in case, and in light of increasing food prices, we've decided to start purchasing a year's worth of pantry staples. There are worksheets out there with what's needed, but they aren't necessarily vegan friendly. We were thinking of coming up with some meal ideas that lend themselves to heavy staple use and then figuring out how much we need, but I've got to learn about the shelf-life of various staples before I begin. Does anyone have any meal/recipe/list suggestions (besides Apocalypse Chow)?
Thanks!