Weather Report: The Economy–Depression’s Odds, & Food–Finally an ‘Organization’

The Economy: “What Are the Odds of a Depression?” is the title of the article at the Wall Street Journal web site (wsj.com) today. It’s written by Robert J. Barro, an economics professor at Harvard and a Stanford University-Hoover Institution fellow.

Professor Barro’s determination of the odds of a depression in the U.S. rest on his analytical approach using “…long-term data from many countries and takes into account the historical linkages between depressions and stock market crashes.”

His study produced two conclusions, “…periods without stock-market crashes are very safe, in the sense that depressions are extremely unlikely. However, periods experiencing stock-market crashes, such as 2008-09 in the U.S., represent a serious threat. The odds are roughly one-in-five that the current recession will snowball into the macroeconomic decline of 10% or more that is the hallmark of depression.”

Food–Finally an ‘Organization’: Energy Bulletin (energybulletin.net) on 3/04/09 has given us some hope that folks around the world, and certainly within the U.S., are recognizing the need and value of the sustainable family food garden and are coming together within this recognition.

In a post entitled ‘Promoting the “localest” food of all, globally” – Kitchen Gardener International, KGI ( “…a 501c3 nonprofit founded in Maine, USA with friends from around the world.”) describes it’s mission as one “… to empower individuals, families, and communities to achieve greater levels of food self-reliance through the promotion of kitchen gardening, home-cooking, and sustainable local food systems.” as well as to “…connect, serve and expand the global community of people who grow some of their own food.”

KGI’s “Justification” is as follows: “With the world in the grips of intersecting food, fuel, financial and environmental crisis, it is clear that we need to make a shift in the way we eat and live. Kitchen gardens, food gardens, Victory gardens – whatever term you prefer – have been an important part of our past and will play an even more crucial role in the future as we work to feed a growing world population using a dwindling and increasingly polluted natural resource base.”

Amen. You can access KGI via kitchengardeners.org on the net and we hope that you will do so.

Note: KGI is the kind of effort we’ve been reporting on here at Prudent Home almost since our beginning. It has been a fragmented work in individual countries such as Great Britain, the U.S., Russia and South Africa, based on similar a similar understanding: ultimately, the food security of the individual, family, and community rests with the food production of the individual, family, and community.

Until the end of the week then, keep your eyes on the horizon as the weathers changing fast.