On emissions, one of my favourite comparisons is with regards one tonne of strawberries: transporting them from Kent (UK) to Kent (UK) emits 0.017 tonnes of CO2. Transporting one tonne from Israel to Kent emits 4.606 tonnes of CO2.

But it’s more complicated than that I think. Farmers in the UK that I have spoken to are frustrated that they are increasingly expected to grow ‘organically’ – their yields are so low (disease among other things kills off much of their produce) that they can’t afford to keep growing (and much UK policy encourages this – farmers are expected to “diversify” i.e. transform their farms into tourist attractions). Many of them can’t wait for GM crops and I don’t blame them for that.

Another issue worth mentioning is of course agriculture (agro-industry), the common agricultural policy and all that. Subsidies have over the years created enormous and complicated problems, that policy makers tend to exacerbate by making even more crazy demands on their farmers (the recent biofuels stuff is a good example). “The Object of Development: America’s Egypt” by Tim Mitchell (NYU) is worth a read if you get the chance.