Massive drought causes decline in food production at US - bad timing

                 
Food security (famine? food riot) is threatening USA because of recent massive drought. It comes at a bad time when people do not have jobs. Food prices will increase. How sad.

That is scene we normally see in Africa, not in USA, the land of the free.



Experts: Crippling Drought Will Push Food Prices Higher

UN Warns Food Shortage/Prices Could Spark Global Unrest

 Prof Jorge came across this link and thought you would be interested in checking this out.



 


 


UN Warns High Food Prices Will Spark Global Unrest

Is this true?

What would you do to prevent this?

Would agriculture be attractive to you?

What can we do to encourage food production by all?

Video on Impending Shortages in the USA?

The AGSB Advantage

I have been getting a lot of negative future scenarios newsfeed in this blog on the US:   galloping inflation, erosion of investment values, food security.  The latest could be bad for US and the PHL.  They say that crop harvests in the food basket (the midwest) has been bad lately in the US;  that is why US has to import l/3 of its food supply.

Food shortages in the US?

There are food shortages allready in times of disaster and there could be more because of end of the world prediction or even shuttering of retails stores because of financial and credit crisis in the US.  We do not know how true these are.  But one thing for sure, we have to be prepared for this.

And the best way is to take care of our food production and food security.  Mind our agriculture, plant vegetables in the backyard.  Plant fruit trees in the backyard.  Save on food.  Conserve our marine resources.

Solutions?

What is in your mind?

How can entrepreneurs help?

What are the opportunities?

Food Security in USA 

Some Interesting Stories About the Lipa Regis students

The usual fare of the lst day entrep class is to ask the students to introduce themselves to the professor.  With the hope of eliciting the vision and the passion of the student (which is related to personal mastery) the student is asked to describe himself in terms of "secret desires"

HENRY - an AB Political Science  graduate;  he started dabbling in business right after graduation, like pizza and restaurant - failed, then worked for sister.  Now is a division head of Province of Batangas agency that helps marginalized barangays cope up with lack of resources.  One of the things he sees is to teach these people starting enterprises.  He should have taken up MPA;  but now is happy that he took up MBA in AGSB;  especially this subject.  Wow.

WINNIE -  is an accountant by profession but is in Marketing.  She used to be Luis Vitton as  sales supervisor and works for Digitel as a business center head.  Used to be a Manila girl from College of Holy Spirit;  but is now a dedicated Batanguena, after having married a Batangueno.

IRENE V-  the class muse and secretary;  maybe the mayor of Lipa look alike (in altitude).  She is an entrepreneur, graduated with a course majoring in entrepreneurship and is a professor of entrepreneurship

RICO - is a techie at GSM, is a manager;  he is MS of Chemistry at DLSU.  He owns two businesses and the one that I clarly heard is on piggery.  He plans to increase the sow level.  I commented that we really need to work on this because food security is in great danger.  Rice supply level is low;  China will not export;  Thai rice now costs $600.00/ton, up from $400.00 ton.

GIL -Gil's story about his employer is more interesting.  His employer used to sell toys with free cellphone.  So he found that the customers were more interested in cellphones than toys.  So he offered insurance to the cellphone owners.  But then he ended up with a lot of old and non-working cellphones. So he set up a cellphone reconditioning works, which Gil is managing.  Good ideas generate more livelihood.

JAMES - used t be called Henry.  Maybe to be differentiated from the other Henry, he preferred to be called James (joke) He holds an important job, being a CEO of a UK shipping company.  He deals a lot with seamen (err difficult to pronounce correctly, seafarers)  He is from Cuenca, right near the foot of Mt. Maculot.  He used to do aquaculture but quit the venture/enterprise.

Our generation needs an ENTREPRENEURIAL REVOLUTION.

ANI, "From Farm to Plate"

Our guest entrepreneur at the Middle Management Program last Monday June 6 was Mr. Antonio Tony Tiu, chairman CEO AgriNurture Inc.  ANI which is tagalog word for ANI, has for its mission statement, "from farm to plate"  ANI makes over a million sales annually.Tony who is a DLSU graduate, and MPA from UP (he also holds masters degree in intl finance in Australia, started out with the humbling job of liquidation sales of about to be folded up post harvest equipment business. They did so well selling the equipment, that instead of folding up, they decided to continue the business, the precursor of ANI.

ANI markets under the brand name FCA and sells and distributes fresh fruits and vegetables to wet markets and SM, exports fruits to all parts of the world most especially China.  They did well after the Japan radioactive scare.  But ANI thrives on a business model that balances the desire of producers to get more value for their produce and for consumers to pay less. Farmers in China get 90% value for their produce, 65% in Japan in Korea, and only 45% in the produce.  Why is this so in the Phil?  There is so much loss post harvest (40% and so much meddling from middlemen and even from those who serve and protect along the highway-  the kotong cops.  ANI has been able to reduce post harvest losses to l5% - quite an achievement.

Some of their products:   fresh fruits and vegetables tamarind, fresh buko juice hybrid rice, brown rice

Listings:   PSE (they are the only  publicly listed agricultural company at PSE and Australia stock exchange

Some key points from Tony:

l. Be motivated by your sense of Mission.  Its not about anymore about making money for yourself, but for the farmers and food security.

2.  Food security will be a great problem which the government must address now.  We will have a rice shortage.

3 Mindanao holds a lot of promise for food production and and processing.  The peace and order situation must be addressed however.

4.  The government does not have all the answer, or must have run out of strategy to solve poverty and other problems of the country. The private sector and the entrepreneurs can.  The entrepreneurs are the answer to our problems (Dr. Ciel Habito shares the same view in his economic briefing Eagle Watch the following day.

5.  Inventory planning for fresh produce:  You maintain a database of what sells and what does not sell.  You deliver to the outlet what sells.  Period

6.  An enterprise constantly creates value by reducing costs, no matter how small, and finding new uses for its products/facilities.

7.  ANI thinks global and is doing global business now.  They do not have enough resources to cover all of China.  They can serve only coastal cities

8,  If you help/serve the farmers, you help l/3 of the total Philippine population and another 1/3 indirectlly.

9.  The problem of farmers is access to credit.  That is why they have Agricultural Bank of the Phil which lends farm inputs instead of money to the farmers.

One of the truly amazing entrepreneurs I have met.  With a deep sense of social responsibility.  A man with a burning mission Who has touched many lives.  We need more like him