That definitely lines up with what I've heard as well.
I think the diminishing returns / negative feedback loop was one of the big motivators for GMO investments. The amount of investment is indicative of the scale of the problem.
Our approach has been to innovate our way out of crises, but it seems to me that we've really just been kicking the can in the long run because (within the capitalist paradigm) every time we create a new solution we also create a new problem.
I definitely encourage regenerative agriculture however I'm not sure that is a "solution" all by itself.
The destructive agricultural practices in use were adopted during the Green Revolution. We can argue that the suffering if we do not change course on these practices will be immense - and I do - but it should also be acknowledged that changing course at this point would also inflict massive suffering.
I don't want to get into this too much but I can provide a graphic that I think explains my point rather well: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/total-agricultural-land-use-per-person
Reducing or eliminating animal agriculture could compensate for significant losses in productivity. Mass subsistence farming could also assist in transitioning more safely back to a less productive agricultural environment that doesn't rely on corporate farming practices. Then add in regenerative agriculture to heal soil and restore long-term fertility.
I like to think all of this together would make a big impact (plus it would be a win for animal rights) but I am not optimistic about the wide-scale adoption of any one of these policies, let alone all of them.
I'll tell my hexbear comrades the same thing I tell every other comrade: If you can do some subsistence gardening, you absolutely should. Get the practice in, learn about your soil and climate, collect and share seeds, reduce your food costs, and put yourself in a position to help your local community when the going gets tough. Almost no one has a huge success their first year of gardening so I think it is better to learn the ropes before we are desperate.
Remember: One cannot fight if one cannot eat. There is no political or economic stability for the working class without food security. There is no left so long as the left cannot feed itself.
Soil conditions plus climate instability has been putting pressure on productivity advances, and this is causing price volatility. When there is volatility companies play it safe and charge extra. These prices are sticky - they recede much more slowly than the rise - which means higher costs in the long-run as a result of short-term blips.
If you would like a nice visual reference of food price volatility, you can find one here: https://www.foodsecurityportal.org/tools/excessive-food-price-variability-early-warning-system
Poor soil condition can be compensated with fertilizers but this is a potentially fragile supply chain, and relying on fertilizers further degrades the soil and reduces long-term fertility. Fertilizer production and use is also destructive in other ways, such as eutrophication of water bodies. All of the big commercial producers are already using fertilizers but they are likely to use more as yields drop.
There is a related issue at play here: The nutrients in our food are decreasing, and will continue to decrease with more CO2 and other GHGs in the atmosphere. Which means we need to consume more food mass for the same levels of nutritional benefits.
Study Links
Study 1: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10969708/
Study 2: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1369526617302406
Study 3: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/abfcfa/meta
I'm afraid food is going to continue getting more expensive.
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He was gorgeous. I'm glad the two of you were able to share time together.