Mr. Editor:
Many nations around the world, including the USA, place great importance on Fuel Reserves as a Strategic National Resource. However, of growing importance and also greatly unrealized, is the fact that food reserves are at least as strategically important as fuel reserves to the security of any nation and maybe more so.
When thinking of a primary food reserve, one would assume that wheat is a major food resource of the USA, and it is. In 2009, the USA was responsible for producing 2.22 billion bushels of wheat. However, of growing national importance and a growing possible concern to the USA, is the fact that strategic reserves of food and therefore the security of the national food supply is being compromised.
It is also important to understand that in 2009 it was reported that in many agricultural sectors, food production declined not only nationally but globally. It is therefore relevant to consider that US food production capabilities may be declining at a time when oil based agriculture production is threatened with long term fuel price increases, possible supply reductions over time and unreliable market prices due to price manipulations internal to national markets.
It follows that it would also be relevant to consider that nations outside of the USA, already impoverished because of major shortages of commodities worldwide, would continue to further suffer and as a result, future US influence in these markets, geographic regions and with those regimes so affected would necessarily decline or lessen.
Environmentally, world shortages are the result of many influences, not the least of which is drought coupled with sales to market timing problems, shipping problems, increasing insurance to the supply side shipping problem and because of market price manipulations, standard food business practices and food distribution stratagems.
If strategic national reserves are not maintained inside the USA and if global capacity and therefore capability to produce food is reduced over time, then the ability of the world to feed itself becomes a chronic, growing problem. Over time, this marginalizes the USA as a leading food exporter worldwide. Over time, the influence the USA has within world regions and sub-regions will be greatly diminished and its ability to provide humanitarian food relief worldwide will also be diminished. In addition, problems may be created within the USA’s own borders as the nation loses the ability to feed its own citizens, especially if environmental conditions were to worsen, or should some other catastrophic problem beset the agricultural industry of the USA as a whole.
Many variables come into play in determining the value of a strategic food reserve in the importance of national security. It is apparent that a surplus of food stored strategically inside the USA becomes a resource not only for national security, it becomes an asset is securing peace and stability beyond the borders of the nation as it becomes an aid for allies, secures global regions from famine and helps reduce or avoid altogether conflict arising from shortages or famine. – S.D.
JWR Replies: Where public officials have failed as a nation in recent years, we should take up the slack as families. I most strongly encourage SurvivalBlog readers to stock up on wheat, rice, and legumes in quantity. It is best to do so now, while they are still affordable. (They may not be affordable, if and when inflation kicks in, or if and when there are crop failures.) The food storage vendors that advertise on SurvivalBlog are all reputable. Some of them even specialize in bulk quantities of grain. Please patronize our advertisers first!