By the Numbers 2009


 

I found this list posted on many sites, including CommonDreams.org and Kitchengardeners.org. I do not know who to credit for it, but freely admit that it is not of my original doing. I applaud the concept and will attempt to refine the concept to our own focus next year. Enjoy!

Please note that these links (=NAME) are not live links, but with some good searching, you can find the references.

  • 1: number of new kitchen gardens planted at the White House this year= AP
  • 1943: the last time food was grown at the White House= White House
  • 20 million: the number of new gardens planted in 1943 ==LA Times
  • 40%: percentage of nation's produce coming from gardens in 1943= LA Times
  • 7 million: estimated number of new food gardens planted in the US in 2009= NGA
  • $2000: amount of savings possible per year from a 40' x 40' garden= KGI
  • 90%: percentage of fruit/vegetable varieties lost in the US the last 100 years= CNN
  • 3500: number of vegetable varieties owned by Monsanto= Monsanto
  • 18,467: number of new small farms counted in the last agricultural census= USDA
  • 4,685: number of farmers markets nationwide =USDA
  • 4,100: number of Wal-mart stores and clubs in the US= Wal-mart
  • 187,000 ft : average area of a Wal-mart superstore =Wal-mart
  • 60,112 ft: average area of a farmers' market =USDA
  • 9.5 million: number of imported food shipments arriving in the US each year =Huffington Post
  • 226,377: number of establishments registered to export food to the US =Huffington Post
  • 200: number of on-site inspections of these establishments conducted by the FDA last yr =Huffington Post
  • 76 million: number of people who fall ill each year due to food poisoning= CDC
  • 50 gallons: volume of sugared beverages consumed per person in the US each year= LA Times
  • 22,727: number of Olympic-sized swimming pools those beverages would fill =Answers.com
  • $15 billion: annual estimated revenue of a penny-per-ounce tax on soda =LA Times
  • $20.5 billion: Coca-Cola's gross profit in 2008 =Coca-Cola
  • 72 million: number of American adults considered obese =CDC
  • 33%: percentage of US children likely to develop obesity or Type 2 diabetes =CDC
  • 10-15 years: average number of years their lives will be shortened as a result =CDC
  • 57 years: average age of the American farmer =USDA
  • 25 days: average shelf-life of a Twinkie =Snopes
  • 350 parts per million: sustainable level of CO2 in atmosphere =350.org
  • 390 parts per million: current level of CO2 in the atmosphere =NOAA
  • 31%: percentage of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions attributable to food and agriculture =IPCC
  • 2020: year by which many geologists feel the world will have reached "peak oil" production =UK Research Centre
  • 10 calories: average amount of fossil fuel energy required to produce 1 calorie of food energy in industrialized food systems =Cornell
  • 29,100 calories: estimated fossil fuel calories required to produce one order of Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries= Men's Health
  • 1 billion: number of hungry people in the world in 2009 =FAO
  • 9.1 billion: projected world population in the year 2050 =US Census
  • 70%: percentage increase in global food production required to feed that projected population =FAO
  • 70%: percentage of world's fresh water used for agricultural purposes =UNESCO
  • 1.8 billion: number of people expected to experience "water scarcity" in the year 2025 =UNEP
  • 0: number of new, oil-rich, water-rich, fertile and inhabitable planets we are likely to discover in the next 40 years
  • 1: number of people needed to make a positive difference in any of the above: you!

 

 

     

Five