What Will You Do, El Paso, When All of the Albertson's Close?

As far as food systems go, El Paso is a thoroughly "modern" City. We have built based on cheap energy. We sprawl. Big box stores are on the outskirts or what once was the outskirts. There are many Mom and Pop stores to be sure - but there are a few food distributors. The biggest players are WalMart and Albertson's. I've already described the distribution of food for Albertson's. It's no different for WalMart. 99% of the food that we buy has zigzagged across the nation or from across the world. In some instances we get produce from within a 300 mile radius where that circle includes Mexico. There are few produce farms here. The Federal government has subsidized cotton but not pinto beans in this region. In short, we have to buy plenty of gasoline to travel to a place to buy our groceries which have come to us at the expense of even greater energy from around the world and coast to coast - literally coast to coast and back again. It's insane.

Now listen: the financial collapse that we are witnessing is going to take its toll on agri-biz all over the country. The growing season is beginning and there will be many farmers who won't be able to get the credit to grow. Accompany that with drought in California and China and Australia and you can expect food prices to go up and big agriculture to get (pardon the pun) eaten up. One of the cruelties of the current Peanut Corporation of America's salmonella scandal is that it has affected nearly 3,000 products at the tune of a half a billion dollar loss in a time of enormous economic downturn. (History will record this as as Depression.)

What should be done? Prop up the huge agri-biz system that is based on and in bed with huge oil? Chances are great that is exactly what Congress will do. Better to help promote local farming, urban farming, community gardens and farmers markets and CSAs. At the very least, the cities in this region should begin promoting small farmer initiatives. If they don't, we are going to be in trouble. Imagine Albertson's going bankrupt, El Paso. Imagine that if you will.

Please read Jim Kunstler's blog entry What Next.